Talking  Points  On 
Christian  Education 

Compiled  by 

ELMER   T.  CLARK 

Secretary  of  the  Department  of  Publicity 


M.E. CHURCH. SOUTH 


Christian  Education  Comm'ission,  M.  E.  Church,  South 
J.  H.  Reynolds,  Director  General 
Nashville,  Tenn. 


PUBLISHING  HOUSE  METHODIST   EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  SOUTH 
SMITH   &   LAMAR,  AGENTS 


PREFACE      C  ^  y 

This  book  is  published  by  the  Christian  Educa- 
tion Commission  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  to  furnish  m.aterial  for  addresses,  sermons,  and 
articles  to  those  who  will  speak  or  write  in  behalf  of 
the  Christian  Education  Movement.  Any  person  inter- 
ested in  the  Movement  or  in  any  phase  of  Christian 
education  may  read  it  with  profit  and  is  imdted  to  make 
the  freest  use  of  its  contents. 

Those  who  represent  the  Movement  are  urged  to  mas- 
ter thoroughly  the  first  three  objectives  and  to  make 
these,  including  the  doctrine  of  Christian  stewardship, 
the  central  them^es  in  all  their  deliberations,  at  least 
until  the  month  of  March.  Little  or  nothing  should  be 
said  of  the  financial  objective  until  after  that  time.  If 
this  is  stressed  before  the  other  great  fundamental  ob- 
jectives are  made  clear  to  the  people,  the  Movement 
will  be  much  misrepresented. 

Let  all  the  objectives  be  regarded  seriously  and 
their  importance  indicated  by  the  order  in  which  they 
stand.  These  spiritual  aims  are  not  projected  simply 
to  commend  a  financial  campaign  to  the  people;  they  are 
the  real  and  fundam.entally  supreme  issues  of  the  entire 
Movement  and  should  be  so  considered.  Our  first  and 
most  important  task  is  to  bring  our  people  to  see  clearly 
the  meaning  and  place  of  Christian  education  in  the  life 
of  the  Church,  the  State,  and  the  world. 

Speakers  and  writers  are  earnestly  urged  to  emphasize 


4 


PREFACE 


always  the  fact  that  this  is  a  movement  in  behalf  of 
Christian  education.  It  is  not  our  function  to  preach 
education,  as  such,  since  America  has  already  appraised 
the  value  of  education  and  is  determined  to  seek  it.  It 
is  the  function  of  the  Church  to  make  education  Chris- 
tian. 

We  should  also  seek  to  establish  a  conception  of  our 
work  as  being  that  of  a  m.ovement  which  will  not  cease 
this  year,  but  which  will  increase  in  influence  as  the 
years  go  by  and  will  eventually  permeate  all  educational 
processes. 

By  all  means  we  should  adapt  our  terminology  to  our 
conception.  Avoid  always  the  use  of  the  words  * 'cam- 
paign'' and  "drive."  The  most  unfortunate  idea  that 
the  people  could  gain  would  be  that  this  Movement  is 
a  financial  ''campaign"  for  $33,000,000  or  any  other 
sum.  The  raising  of  a  large  sum  is  but  one  of  the  prac- 
tical steps  which  the  Church  will  take  in  order  to  estab- 
lish an  adequate  policy  of  Christian  education,  and  it 
is  no  more  than  that.  It  is  a  means,  and  not  an  end. 
Since  the  words  "campaign"  and  "drive"  have  come 
to  indicate  to  the  popular  mind  a  financial  appeal  only, 
they  should  be  studiously  avoided. 

Let  us  in  all  our  speaking  and  in  all  our  conversation 
insist  upon  keeping  to  the  forefront  the  opportunity  and 
obligation  the  Church  has  for  putting  Christ  in  the 
education  of  this  generation  and  all  future  generations. 
If  we  can  arouse  the  Church  to  a  conviction  regarding 
this  obligation,  the  cost  of  meeting  the  obligation  will 
seem  of  minor  importance. 


PREFACE 


We  should,  moreover,  insist  that  this  conception 
be  big  enough.  A  moral  idea  is  the  most  powerful 
human  force  in  existence.  If  our  conception  regarding 
this  program  of  education  is  big  enough,  we  will  implant 
in  the  minds  of  all  the  people  of  the  Southland  this  idea 
and  ideal  and  will  set  in  motion  forces  of  pubhc  opinion 
which  will  not  only  provide  adequate  financial  support 
for  our  own  Church  institutions,  but  which  will  also 
bring  a  new  emphasis  in  the  whole  system  of  pubHc  edu- 
cation. If  our  conception  is  big  enough,  if  we  stand  as 
the  apostles  for  Christianizing  the  education  of  this 
generation,  we  may  indeed  change  the  course  of  our 
nation's  Hfe.  We  cannot  do  this  if  we  limit  our  con- 
ception to  that  of  a  financial  campaign. 

The  authoritative  and  most  important  publication 
of  the  Christian  Education  Movement  is  the  "Educa- 
tional Survey.''  It  should  be  studied  long  and  care- 
fully. A  full  famiharity  with  this  official  volume  will 
make  many  other  aids  unnecessaiy.  In  the  present 
booklet  the  reader  will  find  references  to  certain  other 
pamphlets  issued  by  the  Commission  or  the  Board  of 
Education.  These  may  be  obtained  free  by  application 
to  the  Department  of  PubHcity,  at  Nashville. 

Special  attention  is  invited  to  the  "Handbook  on 
Christian  Stewardship"  published  by  the  Commission. 
This  covers  the  great  doctrine  in  all  of  its  aspects  and 
presents  it  in  a  manner  worthy  of  a  great  and  progres- 
sive denomination.  It  will  be  furnished  free  to  all 
speakers  and  should  be  given  careful  study. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2015 


https://archive.org/details/talkingpointsonc01clar 


CONTENTS 

Page 


I.  An  Adequate  Conception  of  Christian  Education.. .  11 

II.  Religious  Education   20 

III.  American  Education  Menaced  by  Irreligious  Ten- 

dencies  25 

IV.  Methodism  and  Education   29 

V.  Christian  Education  Fundamental  to  Civilization. .  .  37 

VI.  Christian  Stewardship  •   54 

VII.  Deepening  the  Spiritual  Life   63 

VIII.  Source  of  Supply   65 

IX.  National  Leadership   77 

X.  The  Financial  Objective   81 

XI.  Miscellaneous  Facts   98 

XII.  The  Enlarged  Missionary  Program  Dem.ands  an  En- 

larged Educatio  rial  Program   103 


OBJECTIVES  OF  THE  EDUCATIONAL 

MOVEMENT 


1.  To  develop  in  the  mind  of  the  Church  an  adequate 
conception  of  the  place  of  Christian  education  in  the 
life  of  the  Chui'ch,  of  the  nation,  and  of  the  world. 

2.  To  promote  the  cause  of  religious  education  by 
bringing  about  a  closer  and  more  effective  cooperation 
between  our  institutions  of  learning  and  the  Sunday 
school,  and  by  estabhshing  strong  departments  of  re- 
ligious education  in  our  colleges  and  universities. 

3.  To  lead  at  least  5,000  young  men  and  women  to 
pledge  themselves  to  devote  their  lives  to  the  ministry, 
to  missions,  or  to  some  other  form  of  Chi^istian  service 
and  to  seek  a  Christian  education  as  a  preparation  for 
effective  life  sen-ice. 

4.  To  raise  for  our  schools,  colleges,  and  universities 
at  least  $33,000,000,  the  minimum  sum  necessary  to 
enable  thern  to  send  out  the  constantly  increasing 
stream  of  educated  Christian  leaders  required  to  cariy 
forward  the  Cliristian  work  of  the  world,  and  to  secure 
$1,000,000  to  aid  worthy  students  who  are  looking  to 
some  form  of  Christian  sennce  in  their  efforts  to  obtain 
an  education. 

5.  To  deepen  the  moral  and  spiritual  life  of  our 
people  and  to  promote  the  spirit  of  Christian  liberahty 
in  all  of  the  efforts  put  forth  to  realize  these  objectives. 


I 


AN  ADEQUATE  CONCEPTION  OF  CHRISTIAN 
EDUCATION 

We  must  seek  to  impress  upon  our  people  the  tran- 
scendent power  of  education.  They  must  be  brought  to 
see  that  it  is  the  greatest  constructive  force  in  the  world 
and  that  if  the  Churches  are  to  conquer  the  mind  of  the 
world  with  the  ideals  and  spirit  of  Christ,  they  must 
seize  this  arm  of  power — education — and  Christianize 
all  education. 

The  First  Objective 

"The  most  important,  the  most  fundamental,  the 
most  far-reaching  objective  to  be  achieved  by  the  Move- 
ment is :  'To  develop  in  the  mind  of  the  Church  an  ade- 
quate conception  of  the  place  of  Christian  education 
in  the  Hfe  of  the  Church,  of  the  nation,  and  of  the 
world.' 

''Let  it  be  clearly  understood  at  the  very  outset  that 
this  Movement  is  not  a  mere  drive  for  m_oney;  its  task 
is  far  more  difficult  and  far  miore  important  than  to 
secure  a  certain  sum  of  money.  The  most  ambitious 
result  which  it  seeks  to  accomplish  is  nothing  less  than 
to  reach  and  to  influence  in  a  definite  way  the  mind  of 
the  whole  Church.  What  I  m.ean  here  is  illustrated  by 
one  of  the  achievements  of  the  Centenary  Movement. 
The  mind  of  the  Church  toward  missions  will  never  be 


12 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


the  same  as  it  was  before  the  Church  passed  through 
the  experiences  of  the  Centenary.  So  it  is  with  the 
Christian  Education  Movement.  It  is  our  aim  to  bring 
the  whole  Church  to  a  state  of  mind  relative  to  Chris- 
tian education  which  it  has  never  had  before.  To  come 
out  of  the  Movement  with  an  appreciation  of  the  im- 
portance of  Christian  education  in  the  Hfe  of  the  Church, 
and  of  the  nation,  and  of  the  world  is  the  largest  and 
finest  thing  to  be  accompHshed  by  our  great  cause. 

"The  Movement  seeks  to  promote  a  definite  type  of 
education — that  is,  Christian  education.  Since  1914 
the  civilized  world  has  learned  the  never-to-be-forgotten 
lesson  that  in  nominally  Christian  lands  pagan  types  of 
education  may  grow  and  flourish.  Let  it  be  understood 
with  all  clearness  that  our  concern  is  with  distinctively 
Christian  education.  This  raises  the  question:  What 
is  Christian  education?  It  is  sometimes  said  that  the 
only  difference  between  Christian  education  and  other 
types  is  a  difference  of  atmosphere.  But  this  is  not  the 
only  difference. 

"Christian  education  is  differentiated  from  all  other 
types  of  education  by  at  least  three  essential  elements: 

"1.  Christian  ideals  are  essential  to  Christian  educa- 
tion. What  are  parents  and  teachers  and  schools  try- 
ing to  make  of  the  young  lives  committed  to  their  care? 
If  they  are  a  gents  of  genuinely  Christian  education, 
they  are  trying  to  make  Christian  men  and  women  of 
them.  In  bringing  to  realization  the  potential  Christ- 
like manhood  and  womanhood  of  the  boys  and  girls 
committed  to  its  care.  Christian  education  gives  to  the 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


IS 


State  the  highest  type  of  citizenship  and  to  society  its 
finest  members. 

"The  supreme  concern  of  Christian  education  is  the 
spirit.  It  subscribes  fully  to  the  doctrine  that  The 
soul  of  education  is  the  education  of  the  soul.'  Vv^hile 
friendly  to  all  vocational,  technical,  and  professional 
training,  it  centers  its  interest  upon  the  man  himself 
rather  than  upon  the  work  which  he  may  do  in  life. 
I  am  steadfast  in  the  opinion  that  the  most  important 
thing  any  college,  any  university  can  do  and  is  doing 
for  those  committed  to  its  care  is  to  help  them  to  a  right 
answer  to  the  questions:  '"What  is  the  meaning  of  Hfe?' 
'What  are  the  true  values  of  Hfe?'  'What  shall  one  do 
with  the  mind  when  trained,  with  knowledge  when  ac- 
quired?' The  answers  to  these  questions  go  to  the 
heart  of  things.  The  ansv/er  which  any  man  gives  to 
these  will  tell  of  the  convictions  which  he  has  wrought 
out,  the  ideals  which  beckon  him  on,  and  the  experiences 
through  which  he  has  passed.  They  tell  of  the  quality 
of  his  soul,  the  breadth  and  depth  and  height  of  his 
character,  the  very  self  he  has  become. 

"The  most  important  thing  about  any  type  of  edu- 
cation is  the  ideals  which  it  inculcates  and  the  prin- 
ciples which  it  instills  into  the  lives  of  those  brought 
under  its  influence.  This  was  the  point  of  breakdown 
in  German  education.  Germany  was  the  first  nation, 
so  far  as  I  know,  to  discover  the  tremendous  potency  of 
education  and  the  first  to  apply  it  fully  to  the  working 
out  of  her  national  and  international  plans.  Germany 
made  no  mistake  in  attributing  superhuman  power  to 


14 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


education.  Her  fatal  mistake  was  made  in  adopting 
unworthy  and  selfish  ideals  and  then  debasing  the  edu- 
cational process  by  using  it  for  the  purpose  of  reahzing 
these  ideals.  Germany  paganized  her  education  by 
the  adoption  of  ideals  utterly  at  variance  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  Christianity.  Education,  thus  supported  by 
pagan  motives  and  selfish  desires  and  debasing  ideals, 
readily  lends  itself  to  the  purpose  of  a  horrible  ruthless- 
ness.  In  order  for  any  type  of  culture  to  be  Christian, 
it  must  be  supported  by  Christian  ideals  and  Christian 
principles,  and  its  supreme  values  must  be  those  of  the 
spirit  reckoned  in  terms  of  quaHties  of  character  and 
attitudes  of  life. 

"2.  Christian  instruction  is  essential  to  Christian  edu- 
cation. Instruction  is  only  one  element  in  education, 
but  it  is  essential.  Without  instruction  there  can  be  no 
education.  The  subject-matter  of  instruction  is  of  first 
importance.  Christian  education  demands  subject- 
matter  of  instruction  which  is  Christian  to  the  core. 
The  supreme  relation  in  the  Christian  Hfe  is  the  relation 
to  God.  At  the  center  of  Christian  consciousness  is 
the  consciousness  of  vital  fellowship  with  God.  In  the 
life  of  the  Christian  the  supreme  reahty  is  God.  The 
relationship  to  God  in  the  Christian  life  is  just  as  real 
as  that  to  men  and  things.  So  in  Christian  education 
there  must  be  definite  religious  instruction.  This  re- 
quirement requires  instruction  in  the  Bible,  which  is 
the  very  core  of  the  subject-matter  of  religious  instruc- 
tion for  Christians.  I  do  not  raise  the  question  as  to 
whether  or  not  the  Bible  should  be  taught  in  the  public 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


15 


schools.  Surely,  if  we  are  to  have  religious  education, 
it  must  be  taught  somewhere.  Whatever  bar  there 
may  be  to  teaching  it  in  the  pubHc  schools,  certainly 
it  may  be  taught  with  great  diligence  in  the  home  and 
in  the  Sunday  school  and  in  the  schools,  colleges,  and 
universities  of  the  Church.  This  requirement  also  de- 
mands instruction  in  the  hfe,  activities,  influence,  and 
achievements  of  the  Christian  group,  of  Christian 
peoples,  from  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era. 

''But  what  of  that  vast  range  of  the  subject-miatter 
of  instruction  usually  covered  by  the  curricula  of  school, 
college,  and  university?  Is  this  Christian,  or  anti- 
Christian,  or  neutral?  By  some  much  of  it  is  m_ade  anti- 
Christian,  by  others  it  is  made  neutral.  It  is  possible 
for  a  student  to  wade  through  the  four  years  of  high 
school  curriculum,  the  four  years  of  college  curriculum, 
the  two  or  three  or  four  years  of  university  curriculum, 
and  never  reahze  that  there  is  the  shghtest  relation 
between  the  subject-matter  of  instruction  with  which 
he  deals  and  Christianity  or  the  Christian  life.  Where 
this  is  the  case  the  student  has  been  led  to  regard  the 
subject-matter  of  his  instruction  in  the  languages,  in 
the  sciences,  in  mathematics,  and  in  philosophy,  either 
as  hostile  or  as  altogether  neutral  toward  Christianity 
and  the  Christian  life.  Can  it  be  said  that  such  a  man 
has  been  the  recipient  of  a  Christian  education? 

''What  then?  Shall  we  narrow  the  range  of  the  cur- 
riculum to  include  only  what  are  commonly  called 
rehgious  subjects?  God  forbid !  There  are  three  terms 
which  cover  the  whole  field  of  knowledge:  God,  man, 


16 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


and  the  world.  Comprised  in  these  three  terms  are  all 
sciences—natural,  physical,  and  social— all  languages, 
all  history,  all  literature,  all  arts,  and  all  philosophy. 
Christian  education  throws  wide  the  door  and  bids  the 
youth  of  the  land  to  enter  every  field  of  knowledge  and 
to  gain  therein  all  mastery  and  to  acquire  all  possible 
skill.  What  Christian  education  does  is  to  annul  the 
anti  attitude  and  the  neutral  attitude  spoken  of  above, 
and  which  may  exist  in  school  or  college  or  community, 
toward  the  Christian  Hfe.  Christianity's  Founder  came 
not  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfill.  So  Christian  education 
does  not  destroy  what  we  are  accustomed  to  think  of 
as  a  secular  learning,  but  absorbs  it,  Christianizes  it, 
and  uses  it  as  an  effective  agency  in  producing  a  culture 
broad,  deep,  and  profoundly  Christian.  So  in  a  very 
real  sense  there  is  a  Christian  physics,  a  Christian  chem- 
istry, a  Christian  biology,  a  Christian  interpretation 
of  literature,  of  hfe,  and  of  the  world. 

"3.  The  agencies  of  Christian  culture,  in  order  to  achieve 
full  results,  must  have  a  Christian  atmosphere  in  which 
to  do  their  work.  Atmosphere  is  not  the  only  difference 
between  the  Christian  home  and  the  non-Christian 
home.  There  is  a  difference  of  ideals.  There  is  a  dif- 
ference of  instruction,  there  is  a  difference  of  attitude 
toward  the  various  institutions  and  values  of  hfe.  There 
are  differences  of  accent,  of  emphasis,  and  of  interpre- 
tation. So  there  are  numerous  differences  between  the 
Christian  school  and  the  non-Christian  institution.  But 
the  differences  of  atmosphere  are  profound  and  far- 
reaching.  The  magnolia  will  not  grow  in  Canada,  and 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


17 


the  horse  chestnut  will  not  gi'ow  in  Florida,  no  matter 
how  rich  the  soil.  The  atmosphere  of  Canada  will  not 
support  the  gi^owth  of  the  magnoHa. 

''One  of  the  most  potent,  all-pervading  influences  of 
every  home  and  of  every  institution  of  learning  is  its 
atmosphere.  There  are  homes  and  schools  surrounded 
by  an  atmosphere  which  is  uncongenial,  even  hostile, 
to  the  growth  of  Christian  character.  The  power  of 
the  atmosphere  surrounding  every  home  centers  in  the 
father  and  mother.  The  point  from,  which  the  atmos- 
phere which  pervades  any  institution  of  learning  radi- 
ates is  the  faculty.  An  institution  cannot  be  an  agency 
of  Christian  culture  without  a  Christian  faculty.  The 
instructors  of  any  institution  stand  at  the  heart  and 
center  of  power.  Every  Christian  school  must  live  and 
m.ove  and  have  its  being  in  an  atmosphere  congenial 
to  and  able  to  support  the  development  of  Christian 
ideals  and  in  which  Christian  instraction  may  be  effect- 
ively given." — Stonewall  Anderson. 

Lesson  of  the  World  War 

'The  great  central,  outstanding  lesson  of  the  Vv^'orld 
War  is  that  by  controUing  the  education  of  a  people  you 
can  in  a  generation  change  the  spirit,  ideals,  and  charac- 
ter of  that  nation.  Benjamin  Kidd,  in  his  "Science  of 
Power,"  has  stated  this  truth  and  has  pointed  out  that 
both  Germany  and  Japan  have  done  that  in  the  last 
forty  years.  Ee  said  that  in  one  generation  German 
education  was  completely  Prussianized — that  is,  the 
Prussian  military  ohgarchy  captured  all  of  the  proc- 
2 


18 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


esses  of  German  education  from  the  kindergarten  to 
the  university,  stamped  it  with  the  spirit  and  ideals  of 
Prussian  materialism  and  militarism,  and  through  it 
completely  changed  the  character  and  spirit  of  the 
German  people  from  a  peace-loving,  rehgious  people  to 
a  covetous,  conceited,  war-mad  people.  It  is  this  fact 
that  explains  the  World  W ar.  When  the  Prussian  lead- 
ers had  finished  their  task  of  educating  the  people  for  it, 
they  precipitated  the  war.  Education  is  the  strongest 
force  in  typing  civihzation  and  is  therefore  the  biggest 
task  of  man." — J.  H.  Reynolds. 

(See  "Lessons  of  the  World  War  in  the  Field  of  Edu- 
cation," by  J.  H.  Reynolds,  pubhshed  by  Board  of 
Education  of  M,  E.  Church,  South.) 

Our  Choice 

"Giving  to  the  world  the  right  kind  of  education  is 
the  most  important  question  before  humanity.  If  we 
can  make  education  Christian,  civihzation  is  safe; 
otherwise  education  is  at  least  as  dangerous  as  igno- 
rance. Bolshevism  in  Russia  and  anarchy  in  Mexico 
are  examples  of  what  ignorance  in  the  masses,  led  by 
fanatics  with  half-baked  social  ideas,  will  do  for  peoples; 
while  the  world  devastated  by  the  great  war  and  torn 
by  social  anarchy  is  an  example  of  what  a  materiaHstic 
education,  an  education  purely  scientific  and  devoid  of 
God,  will  do.   Of  the  two,  ignorance  is  less  harmful. 

"But  we  do  not  have  a  choice  between  education  and 
ignorance.  That  day  is  past.  We  are  going  to  educate. 
In  the  present  state  of  civilization  education  is  the  pas- 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


19 


sion  of  the  world.  The  United  States  is  expending  a 
billion  dollars  a  year  on  education. 

"Our  only  choice  is  the  kind  of  education  and  the 
great  war  shov/s  that  the  kind  of  education  is  every- 
thing; for  it  was  the  materiaHstic  education  of  Germany, 
stripped  of  Christian  ethics  and  resting  on  the  ethics  of 
the  jungle,  that  v/as  responsible  for  the  war  and  its  hor- 
rible methods.  Our  choice  is  whether  education  shall 
be  Christian  or  heathen,  and  in  that  choice  we  deter- 
mine the  civiHzation  of  the  future.  Our  General  Con- 
ference of  1918,  facing  this  greatest  issue  of  history,  de- 
cided to  exert  the  full  power  of  our  Church  in  an  effort 
to  make  our  education  Christian." — J.  H.  Reynolds. 


II 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION 

"To  promote  the  cause  of  religious  education  by 
bringing  about  a  closer  and  more  effective  cooperation 
between  our  institutions  of  learning  and  the  Sunday 
school"  is  the  second  objective  of  the  Movement. 
Christian  education  covers  a  wider  field  than  religious 
education.  In  religious  education  the  subject-matter 
of  instruction  is  limited  to  religious  and  kindred  sub- 
jects. The  very  heart  of  the  subject-m.atter  of  instruc- 
tion in  religious  education  is  the  Bible. 

"A  few  jT-ears  ago  there  were  those  among  us  who 
denied  that  there  was  any  such  thing  as  religious  edu- 
cation. To-day  it  is  recognized  that  the  religious  edu- 
cation of  the  youth  of  the  nation  is  one  of  the  gravest 
problems  wi^-h  which  we  are  confronted.  Where  State 
and  Church  are  separated,  as  in  our  nation,  it  is  a  prob- 
lem which  can  be  solved  only  by  voluntary  effort.  The 
State  is  pouring  out  its  milHons  for  the  education  of  its 
youth,  but  no  part  of  this  wealth  can  be  used  directly 
for  rehgious  education. 

"It  is  needless  to  debate  further  the  question  as  to 
whether  or  not  the  Bible  should  be  taught  in  the 
public  schools.  The  very  presence  of  the  denomina- 
tions in  practically  all  communities  makes  it  impracti- 
cable to  teach  the  Bible  in  the  pubHc  school.  The 
larger  part  of  religious  education  secured  by  the 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


21 


youth  of  the  nation  must,  it  seems  to  me,  come  through 
the  Church.  I  think  it  is  time  for  Protestantism  to 
settle  down  in  the  conviction  that  it  is  responsible  for 
the  quality  and  degree  of  religious  education  of  the 
youth  of  America. 

'The  great  agency  of  rehgious  education  is  the  Sun- 
day school.  My  conviction  is  that  this  institution 
stands  at  the  beginning  of  its  usefulness  as  an  education- 
al agency.  Only  in  recent  years  has  the  Sunday  school 
been  regarded  as  a  genuinely  educational  institution. 
It  is  now  so  regarded  by  all  leaders  in  this  field. 

"This  Movement  seeks  to  bring  the  work  of  religious 
education  as  represented  by  the  institutions  of  learning 
of  the  Church  and  the  Sunday  school  into  closer  and 
more  effective  cooperation.  We  need  to  show  our  people 
that  these  two  agencies  are  working  at  the  same  great 
task.  As  a  substantial  expression  of  this  cooperation, 
it  is  the  purpose  of  the  Movement  to  estabhsh  in  all 
our  colleges  and  universities  a  strong  department  of 
rehgious  education.  In  this  department  the  Bible  and 
related  subjects  will  be  taught.  Young  men  and  women 
will  be  fitted  for  teachers  in  the  Sunday  schools  and  for 
superintendents  of  rehgious  education  and  other  forms 
of  Christian  service  in  the  local  Church.  In  this  way 
the  colleges  and  universities  of  the  Church  and  the  Sun- 
day schools  will  be  brought  into  vital  relationship  and 
made  mutually  helpful  to  each  oVaQY.''— Stonewall 
Anderson, 


22 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


Neglect  of  the  Religious  Instruction  of  Children 

The  Literary  Digest  of  August  14, 1920,  page  35,  gives 
some  startling  facts  showing  how  shamefully  the  Prot- 
estant Churches  of  America  have  neglected  the  re- 
ligious training  of  the  children.  This  neglect  threatens 
the  moral  bankruptcy  of  the  nation,  and  the  problem 
of  the  proper  religious  instruction  of  children  is  a  big 
national  issue.  In  1916  there  were  21,888,521  children 
enrolled  in  the  Sunday  schools  of  the  United  States, 
while  in  1920  there  are  only  15,617,000,  a  loss  of  over 
six  million  children  from  the  Sunday  schools  of  the 
country.  Only  one-half  of  the  53,000,000  children  in 
the  United  States  are  enrolled  in  rehgious  schools  of  any 
kind. 

Among  Protestants  the  situation  is  even  worse,  be- 
cause with  them  three  out  of  every  five  receive  no 
rehgious  training.  Jewish  children  receive  every  year 
335  hours  of  religious  instruction,  or  one  hour  a  day  for 
eleven  months  in  the  year.  CathoHc  children  receive 
200  hours  a  year,  or  four  hours  a  week.  Protestant 
children  average  half  an  hour  a  week,  or  twenty-six 
hours  a  year.  The  sixteen  States  served  in  a  large  way 
by  our  Church  have  14,251,873  children  who  are  receiv- 
ing no  rehgious  instruction  whatever.  The  number 
of  totally  neglected  children  for  each  State  is  as  follows: 
Texas,  1,376,580;  Oklahoma,  1,028,000;  Louisiana, 
624,690;  Arkansas,  890,000;  Missouri,  883,490;  Ken- 
tucky, 821,150;  Tennessee,  920,420;  Mississippi,  755,- 
900;  Alabama,  1,100,250;  Georgia,  1,348,790;  Florida, 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


23 


383,430;  South  Carolina,  669,340;  North  CaroHna, 
885,540;  West  Virginia,  472,640;  Virginia,  860,082; 
Maryland,  1,231,570. 

These  figures  constitute  a  severe  indictment  of  the 
Protestant  Churches.  Spiritual  ilHteracy  is  the  fore- 
runner of  moral  bankruptcy  and  national  decay.  The 
solution  of  the  problem  is  not  to  try  to  put  religious 
instruction  in  the  pubhc  schools.  The  Churches  and  the 
homes  must  assume  this  responsibility. 

The  New  York  Board  of  Education  has  voted  to 
give  a  whole  afternoon  a  week  for  the  rehgious  instruc- 
tion of  children  by  their  own  Churches.  This  action 
is  wise.  It  puts  the  responsibihty  where  it  belongs. 
While  the  Protestant  Churches  are  not  well  prepared 
to  meet  the  emergency,  such  action  will  force  the  ques= 
tion  to  the  front  and  will  compel  an  adjustment  of 
Church  machinery  to  meet  the  situation.  This  will 
call  for  many  trained  Christian  teachers.  Let  us  in 
this  Movem.ent  bring  the  question  of  an  adequate  re- 
ligious educational  program  before  our  people  and 
develop  an  informed  conscience  on  it. 

End  of  Religious  Education 

'The  end  of  religious  education  is  not  mere  knowl- 
edge or  learning;  but  rather  to  bring  the  indi\idual  into 
life — the  largest,  richest,  highest  Hfe;  yea,  the  hfe  of 
God  shared  with  man.  'I  am  come  that  they  may  have 
life,  and  that  they  m.ay  have  it  more  abundantly.' 
'This  is  life  eternal,  that  they  should  know  thee,  the 
only  true  God,  and  him  v/hom  thou  didst  send,  even 


24 


TALKING  POINTS 


Jesus  Christ.'  This  Christian  view  of  God  makes  the 
religious  Mfe  fundamentally  ethical. 

"Religious  and  moral  education  cannot  be  separated. 
The  goal  of  Christian  education  is  to  bring  one  into 
close  acquaintance  with  God,  to  make  his  relation  to 
God  the  dominating  relation  in  life,  the  entrance  into 
the  largest  life  and  character.'' — King,  Personal  and 
Ideal  Elements  in  Education." 


in 


AMERICAN  EDUCATION  MENACED  BY 
IRRELIGIOUS  TENDENCIES 

Prof.  James  H.  Lueba  is  the  professor  of  psychology 
and  pedagogy  in  Br^Ti  Ma\^T  College.  He  is  a  native 
of  Switzerland  and  was  educated  in  Germany.  Pro- 
fessor Lueba  is  an  atheist,  who  rejects  the  behef  in 
God  and  immortality.  In  1916  he  pubhshed  a  book  in 
which  he  gave  the  results  of  a  large  number  of  question- 
naires sent  out  to  students  and  professors  in  certain  of 
the  large  secular  colleges  and  universities  of  the  country 
in  an  attempt  to  fmd  out  what  these  people  believed 
about  God  and  the  future  life. 

The  general  result  of  his  investigation  showed,  ac- 
cording to  his  tabulation,  that  about  sixty  per  cent  of 
the  professors  of  science,  psychology,  and  history  in 
these  secular  institutions  do  not  beheve  in  the  existence 
of  God.  A  shghtly  smaller  per  cent  of  these  same  pro- 
fessors also  reject  belief  in  personal  immortality. 

The  same  investigation  also  showed  that  between 
iO%  and  oO%  of  the  students  in  these  colleges  and 
universities  reject  behef  in  God  also,  and  about  the 
same  number  do  not  beheve  in  personal  immortahty. 

A  significant  pecuharity  showed  itseK  in  the  statis- 
tics  concerning  the  faith  of  these  college  students. 
Among  the  freshmen  the  number  of  those  who  did  not 


26 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


believe  in  God  was  about  15%,  but  the  proportion  in- 
creased rapidly  in  the  upper  classes.  This  seems  to 
indicate,  if  Professor  Lueba's  tabulation  be  correct,  that 
only  15%  of  the  students  did  not  beheve  in  God  when 
they  entered  these  institutions,  but  that  as  they  contin- 
ued to  sit  under  the  instruction  of  the  professors  above 
referred  to  they  lost  their  faith  until  not  more  than 
half  were  believers  when  they  left  the  institutions. 

The  same  statistics  revealed  the  fact  that  about  60% 
of  the  professors  and  about  50%  of  the  students  de- 
clared that  they  had  no  desire  for  personal  immortaUty 
and  did  not  consider  that  it  had  any  material  influence 
on  human  conduct. 

The  Doctrines  Taught 

The  following  are  a  few  quotations  from  Professor 
Lueba's  book,  showing  the  sentiments  entertained  by 
the  professor  of  education  in  Bryn  Mawr  College: 

''There  are  devoted  Christians  who  apparently  pre- 
fer living  in  intellectual  dishonesty  to  recognizing  that 
the  God  whom  they  worship  has  no  existence  in  their 
philosophy." 

"Investigation  indicates  that  the  proportion  of 
disbelievers  in  immortality  increases  considerably  from 
the  freshman  to  the  senior  year  in  college.  Considered 
altogether,  my  data  would  indicate  from  40%  to  50% 
of  young  men  leaving  college  entertain  an  idea  of  God 
incompatible  with  the  acceptance  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion even  as  interpreted  by  the  liberal  clergy.'' 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


27 


''The  deepest  impression  left  by  these  records  is  that, 
so  far  as  rehgion  is  concerned,  our  students  are  grovehng 
in  darkness.  Christianity  as  a  system  of  behef  has 
utterly  broken  dov/n;  and  nothing  definite,  adequate, 
and  convincing  has  taken  its^place.  Their  behef s,  when 
they  have  any,  are  superficial  and  amateurish  in  the 
extreme.  There  is  no  generally  acknowledged  author- 
ity, each  one  beheves  as  he  can,  and  few  seem  disturbed 
at  being  unable  to  hold  the  tenets  of  the  Churches.  This 
sense  of  freedom  is  the  glorious  side  of  an  otherwise 
dangerous  situation." 

*'I  have  come  to  hold  that,  in  so  far  at  least  as  the 
most  civihzed  nations  are  concerned,  the  modern  belief 
in  immortality  costs  more  than  it  is  worth." 

"If  we  bring  into  the  calculation  all  the  consequences 
of  the  behef,  and  not  merely  its  gratifying  effects,  we 
may  even  be  brought  to  conclude  that  its  disappearance 
from  the  most  civilized  nations  would  be,  on  the  whole, 
a  gain." 

"Forty-three  per  cent  of  the  men  and  22  per  cent  of 
the  women  students  declare  themselves  indifferent  to 
the  existence  of  God.  These  are  nearly  all  nonbe- 
lievers." 

"It  would  be  difficult  to  evaluate  the  harm  done  to 
humanity  in  the  past  by  the  conviction  that  the  real 
destination  of  man  is  the  world  to  come.  A  sincere  be- 
lief in  the  Christian  God  to  whom  the  behever  is  to  be 
united  in  heaven  is  an  unavoidable  cause  of  detachment 
from  this  life." 


28 


TALKING  POINTS 


Of  course  Professor  Lueba's  inquiry  was  among  the 
big  secular  colleges  and  universities.  No  such  condition 
exists  in  Church  schools.  Indeed,  it  is  quite  probable 
that  his  statements  greatly  exaggerate  the  condition  in 
the  large  secular  institutions.  He  himself  is  an  atheist, 
and  this  fact  doubtless  colored  his  whole  book. 


IV 


METHODISM  AND  EDUCATION 

Methodism,  with  all  its  meaning  and  benefits  to  the 
world,  sprang  from  the  Christian  college.  Its  inspira- 
tion, its  genius,  its  motive,  all  find  their  source  and  best 
expression  in  Christian  education. 

Born  in  Oxford  University,  it  went  out  immediately 
to  found  the  Kingswood  School  in  England,  Cokesbury 
College  in  America,  and  similar  institutions  around  the 
world. 

Oxford  trained  at  least  iovx  generations  of  the  Wesley 
family,  thus  laying  deep  the  foundations  of  Methodism 
in  Christian  culture. 

Bartholomew  Wesley  studied  medicine  and  theology 
at  the  famous  EngHsh  seat  of  learning.  His  son  John 
followed  to  the  Alm.a  Mater  of  the  father.  Samuel 
Wesley,  son  of  John,  entered  Exeter  College,  Oxford, 
in  1883,  and  later  his  three  sons — Samuel,  Charles,  and 
John — all  entered  Christ  ChuTch  College  at  the  same 
university. 

Out  of  the  Christian  college  came  these  generations 
of  theologians  to  make  Methodism  one  of  the  dominant 
spiritual  forces  of  the  earth.  From  her  ovvn  colleges 
there  now  go  out  leaders  and  influences  worthy  of  the 
Church's  past. 

Since  its  foundation  Methodism  has  been  in  the  busi- 


30 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


ness  of  education.  It  has  founded  and  maintained 
schools,  colleges,  and  universities  wherever  it  has  gone. 

Methodism  is  the  child  of  Christian  education. 
Samuel  Wesley,  the  father  of  the  two  great  Methodists; 
John  Wesley,  the  scholar,  theologian,  and  statesman  of 
the  Methodist  Revival;  Charles  Wesley,  the  poet  and 
hymn  writer;  George  Whitefield,  its  silver-tongued 
evangel;  and  Thomas  Coke,  the  bishop  ordained  by 
Wesley  for  service  in  America,  were  all  trained  in  Oxford 
University. 

Methodism  has  always  recognized  its  educational 
responsibility.  Its  first  building  was  a  school — the 
corner  stone  of  which  was  laid  at  Kingswood  on  the 
same  day  that  John  Wesley  preached  his  first  open-air 
sermon,  six  weeks  before  the  erection  of  a  church  build- 
ing. The  first  American  General  Conference  projected 
Cokesbury  College. 

Action  of  the  General  Conference  of  1918 

'The  General  Conference  of  1918  faced  three  big 
questions — the  unification  of  Methodism,  the  forward 
movement  in  missions,  and  an  adequate  program  of 
Christian  education.  All  these  subjects  were  maturely 
considered  for  days  by  large  and  able  committees.  The 
General  Conference  had  under  consideration  the  edu- 
cational movement  twice,  once  upon  the  report  of  the 
Committee  on  Education  and  second  upon  the  report 
of  the  Committee  on  Conference.  The  report  of  the 
Committee  on  Education,  a  great  State  paper,  recom- 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


31 


mended  that  the  General  Conference  order  a  popular, 
Church-wide,  intensive  campaign  for  our  educational 
institutions. 

This  report  was  unanimously  adopted.  At  the 
request  of  the  Committee  on  Education  the  General 
Conference  created  a  Committee  on  Conference  consist- 
ing of  representatives  of  all  interests  concerned  and 
charged  it  with  the  duty  of  considering  the  feasibility 
of  uniting  into  one  all  of  the  proposed  cam.paigns  for 
missions,  education,  and  superannuate  endowment. 
This  committee,  after  a  thorough  investigation  of  all 
the  elements  in  the  situation,  reported  that  it  was  not 
practicable  to  unite  the  campaigns,  and  closed  with  this 
strong  deliverance: 

'But  that  in  the  interest  of  efficiency  and  in  order 
that  there  may  be  carried  on  but  one  popular  campaign 
in  the  Church  at  the  same  time  and  without  prejudice  to 
existing  campaigns,  we  recommend  that  the  right  of 
way  be  given  to  the  Centenary  Movement  during  the 
first  two  years,  and  to  the  Educational  Campaign  during 
the  second  two  years  of  the  quadrennium,  and  that 
during  these  two  periods  as  far  as  possible  the  full 
power  of  the  Church  be  delivered  in  these  respective 
campaigns.' 

"This  report  was  unanimously  adopted  by  the 
General  Conference.  From  this  history  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  General  Conference  squarely  faced  the  prob- 
lem of  uniting  all  campaigns,  set  to  the  task  of  solving 
it  some  of  the  best  minds  in  the  Church,  that  they  failed 
to  find  a  plan  of  uniting  them,  and  that  upon  the  rec- 


82 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


ommendation  of  this  committee  they  adopted  an 
order  separating  them.  It  should  be  remembered  also 
that  it  was  the  Committee  on  Education  that  tried  to 
have  the  campaigns  united.  This  chapter  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  last  General  Conference  ought  to  be  better 
known.  It  would  set  at  ease  some  minds  now  so  insis- 
tent upon  uniting  cam.paigns.  From  their  zeal  you 
would  think  that  the  subject  had  never  been  thought  of 
before.  This  history  shows,  however,  that  the  General 
Conference  thoroughly  considered  the  question  and 
settled  it. 

"Is  it  any  wonder,  if  the  General  Conference  could 
not  find  a  way  to  unite  the  campaigns,  that  boards 
created  by  that  body  should  fail?  Indeed,  it  may  prove 
to  be  providential  that  no  plan  of  uniting  them  has  been 
found.  Their  union  would  have  destroyed  the  edu- 
cational value  of  the  Movement.  One  united  campaign 
would  have  provided  money  only.  To  focus  the  thought 
of  the  whole  Church  upon  missions  for  two  years  is 
worth  far  more  in  the  missionary  education  of  the 
people  than  the  millions  raised.  Likewise,  the  concen- 
tration of  the  thought  of  the  people  for  the  next  two 
years  upon  the  cause  of  Christian  education  will  have 
immeasurable  educational  value  in  a  field  fundamental 
to  Christian  civiHzation.  Our  people  will  have  an  in- 
formed conscience  on  education  and  missions  after  this 
quadrennium. 

"These  two  actions  of  the  General  Conference  con- 
stitute the  Enabhng  Act  of  the  Education  Movement. 
With  the  papers  accompanying  them  they  show  that 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


33 


the  General  Conference  considered  the  adequate  equip- 
ment of  our  Christian  schools  fundamental  to  Christian 
civihzation  and  absolutely  essential  if  our  Church  is 
to  play  a  part  in  the  Christianization  of  the  world.  The 
General  Conference  not  only  ordered  the  Educational 
Movement,  but  it  provided  that  right  of  way  through- 
out the  Church  should  be  given  it,  v/ith  the  full  power 
of  the  Church  deKvered  back  of  it. 

''Moreover,  the  General  Conference  considered  the 
timeliness  of  the  Movement  and  decided  that  national 
and  world  conditions  were  so  urgent  that  delay  would 
be  fatal  and  therefore  refused  to  postpone  it.  The  Con- 
ference, facing  this  very  issue,  said : 

"  'The  present  war  will  be  quickly  followed  by  a  far 
more  titanic  and  fateful  struggle,  a  contest  for  the 
spiritual  supremacy  of  Christ  in  the  Hfe  of  the  world. 
Success  in  the  second  war  will  largely  depend  upon 
America  and  more  particularly  upon  her  Christian 
colleges  and  universities.'  'As  our  national  govern- 
ment has  had  to  spend  immense  sums  of  money  on 
cantonments  and  officers'  training  camps  to  prepare  men 
and  officers  for  the  front-hne  trenches  in  Europe  before 
America  could  deliver  her  full  power  in  the  present  war, 
so  the  Churches  of  the  living  God  will  have  to  put  mil- 
lions upon  milHons  into  their  colleges  and  universities, 
their  training  camps  and  cantonments,  so  that  the 
Churches  may  be  able  to  mobilize  in  the  front-Hne 
trenches  in  the  days  of  world  conquest  and  reconstruc- 
tion after  the  war,  thousands  of  Woodrow  Wilsons, 
[  Moots,  Bryans,  Haygoods,  Galloways,  Lambuths, 
3 


34 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


Wainrights,  and  Clines,  where  they  have  dozens  to- 
day, and  may  have  their  constantly  increasing  reserve 
armies  well  trained  and  seasoned  to  fill  up  the  thin- 
ning ranks  on  the  firing  hnes/  — J.  H,  Reynolds. 

What  Other  Churches  Are  Doing  for  Their 
Schools 

Like  individuals,  Churches  do  not  live  apart;  they 
are  not  independent ;  they  are  in  the  midst  of  an  envir- 
onment which  largely  determines  lines  of  action.  Our 
Church  is  surrounded  by  other  Churches  whose  activi- 
ties influence  our  course.  This  is  true  in  the  field  of 
education.  The  World  War  has  given  tremendous  em- 
phasis to  education.  England  has  enlarged  her  edu- 
cational program;  States  and  communities  are  increas- 
ing their  public  school  budgets,  and  our  big  universities 
are  seeking  to  meet  the  larger  demands  upon  them. 

Northwestern  University  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  is  in  the  field  for  $25,000,000,  almost  as 
much  as  our  entire  budget;  Harvard  has  raised  recently 
$15,000,000;  Yale  is  seeking  $11,000,000;  Chicago  and 
Cornell  each  seek  $10,000,000.  All  of  the  great  Protes-: 
tant  Churches  of  America  have  been  profoundly  in-| 
fiuenced  by  this  movement.  The  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  closed  an  Educational  Jubilee  Campaign  in 
1918  which  produced  for  its  colleges  and  universities! 
$35,000,000.  In  addition  to  this  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  that  Church  at  Des  Moines  last  May  authorized 
an  educational  campaign  for  $138,000,000.   This  will 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


35 


make  a  total  of  $173,000,000  for  their  colleges  and  uni- 
versities, over  five  times  the  sum  we  are  asking. 

The  Northern  Presbyterian  Church  is  in  the  field  for 
$33,307,125;  the  Northern  Baptists  have  just  closed  a 
campaign  for  $30,000,000;  the  Southern  Presbyterians 
are  seeking  $8,000,000;  and  the  Southern  Baptists  have 
just  raised  about  $25,000,000  for  education.  The  col- 
leges and  universities  of  the  Southern  Baptists  are  in 
the  midst  of  the  greatest  period  of  building  and  expan- 
sion in  their  history.  This  fact  is  a  source  of  great  em- 
barrassment to  our  schools  lying  alongside  of  them,  but 
powerless  to  act  until  now.  Thus  a  half  dozen  of  our 
sister  denominations  through  efforts  just  closed  or  in 
process  are  raising  for  their  enlarged  educational  pro- 
grams over  $300,000,000. 

This  enlarged  educational  program  of  our  sister 
Churches  makes  immediate  action  by  our  C  hurch  neces- 
sary if  we  are  to  retain  our  place  as  one  of  the  dominant 
spiritual  forces  of  the  world.  If  our  Church  should  fail 
to  do  anything  for  educational  institutions  while  our 
sister  Churches  by  their  larger  equipments  turn  out  an 
increased  supply  of  trained  leaders  for  the  ministry  and 
missions,  our  Church  would  die. 

The  greatest  institutions  of  learning  in  America — as 
well  as  the  oldest — were  founded  by  Churches.  A  large 
majority  of  higher  institutions  are  to-day  in  connection 
with  religious  bodies. 

In  the  United  States  there  are  about  514  colleges  and 
universities,  620  academies,  and  200  theological  schools 
now  under  Church  auspices. 


36 


TALKING  POINTS 


'There  are  350  institutions  of  higher  grade  supported 
by  public  taxation,  including  State  and  municipal  col- 
leges, universities,  and  normal  schools." 

Considerably  more  than  half  the  students  in  such 
schools  are  in  those  of  the  Church.  The  various  de- 
nominations have  made  investments  in  education  of 
more  than  $100,000,000  in  the  last  four  years. 

(For  further  facts  about  the  Church  in  education 
see  Educational  Survey,  pp.  23-26). 


V 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  FUNDAMENTAL  TO 
CIVILIZATION 

"A  world  bleeding  and  broken,  with  billions'  worth  of 
property  destroyed,  with  millions  of  virile  men  dead,  with 
other  millions  maimed  or  bowed  with  a  sorrow  which 
death  alone  can  lift,  v/ith  civihzation  in  some  quarters 
scrapped  and  everywhere  menaced,  is  a  spectacular  ex- 
ample of  what  the  wrong  kind  of  education  will  do  for 
mankind .  It  is  the  index  finger  of  God  pointing  through 
this  supreme  lesson  of  history  to  man's  monumental 
folly,  to  his  greatest  blunder  in  his  own  education,  an 
education  devoid  of  God  and  resting  on  the  ethics  of  the 
jungle — the  principle  that  might  makes  right.  And 
yet  in  spite  of  this  lesson  much  of  the  world's  life  con- 
tinues to  organize  itself  around  this  same  principle  on 
which  the  Kaiser  prepared  for  and  waged  the  great 
war. 

Ethics  Underlying  Modern  International  And 
Industrial  Affairs 

"In  international  affairs  the  sanction  of  modern  di- 
plomacy is  largely  physical  force.  At  this  shrine  all 
departments  of  State  of  modern  governments  worship. 
At  the  council  board  of  the  nations  the  pov/er  and  in- 
fluence of  any  given  nation  are  measured  by  the  po- 


38 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


tential  size  of  its  army  and  navy  and  not  by  its  wisdom 
and  moral  worth.  Power  remains  the  first  of  the  com- 
mandments among  the  nations — the  basis  of  inter- 
national ethics. 

'  'In  the  industrial  world  the  same  principle  holds  sway. 
Labor's  power  is  measured  by  its  war  chest,  its  treasury 
and  its  capacity  to  enforce  on  capital  its  demands 
through  strikes.  Capital  calculates  in  terms  of  its 
power  to  influence  legislation,  judicial  decision,  and 
administration;  to  control  the  press  and  pubHc  opinion, 
and  to  overawe  and  coerce  labor  through  fear  of 
hunger.  The  diplomat,  the  capitahst,  and  the  labor 
leader,  all  alike,  think  in  terms  of  the  same  thing — 
physical  force;  their  ethical  code  roots  in  the  same  prin- 
ciple— might  makes  right. 

"The  great  war  and  the  constant  industrial  war  be- 
tween labor  and  capital  are  the  inevitable  consequences 
of  this  principle  apphed  to  international  and  industrial 
affairs.  It  causes  hundreds  of  milhons  of  people  to  live 
with  the  fear  of  war  or  hunger  written  in  their  eyes,  or 
with  the  dread  of  what  war  or  poverty  may  bring  to 
their  children.  Society  is  still  staggering  under  fi- 
nancial burdens  of  big  armies  and  excessive  profits, 
thanks  to  its  barbaric  system  of  international  relations 
and  its  brutal  system  of  economics,  resting,  as  they  both 
do,  upon  the  ethics  of  the  jungle — get  as  much  as  pos- 
sible and  pay  or  do  as  httle  as  possible.  Witness  the 
mass  of  human  misery  brought  on  the  race  by  the  great 
war  and  the  fact  that  almost  half  of  the  human  family 
live  scarcely  above  the  bread  line. 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


S9 


'The  great  war  was  the  logical  consequence  of  na- 
tional selfishness  and  ambition  appHed  to  international 
relations,  while  strikes,  lockouts  and  class  struggles  are 
i  the  natural  fruits  of  individual  and  class  selfishness  in 
j  industry.   So  long  as  society  is  organized  around  the 
I  principle  of  individual  and  national  selfishness,  man- 
;  kind  will  continue  to  repeat  the  tragic  experiences  of 
I  the  past — wars,  bloodshed,  poverty,  and  death.  Greed 
j  for  peK  and  power  is  the  motive  back  of  all  the  sad 
i  story  of  the  checkered  history  of  mankind.   What  is 
the  great  lesson  which  God  would  have  us  learn  from 
it  all?   The  only  hope  of  humanity  is  in  Jesus  Christ. 
!  Its  life  must  be  organized  around  his  teachings.  The 
.whole  social  structure  must  be  permeated  with  his 
principles.    That  is  our  lesson. 

Christian  Education  a  Providential  Movement 

"An  eminent  American  said  recently  that  genius  con- 
sists in  discovering  the  major  issue  or  issues  in  the  Hfe 
of  the  age  in  which  one  lives  and  of  throwing  himself 
into  the  issue  with  all  of  his  powers.  This  is  another 
way  of  saying  that  God  has  dominant  currents  or  move- 
ments in  every  age,  that  it  is  the  function  of  man  to  dis- 
cover these  currents  and  work  in  harmony  with  themi, 
that  in  working  with  God's  movements  he  takes  ad- 
vantage of  their  momentum  and  accomplishes  so  much 
more. 

"One  of  the  dominant  currents  of  God  in  this  age 
is  Christian  education.  He  is  doing  everything  pos- 
sible to  bring  this  lesson  home  to  man.    The  action 


40 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


of  all  the  Protestant  Churches  of  America  in  calling  for 
some  $300,000,000  for  Christian  education  shows  that 
they  sense  the  situation  and  are  interpreting  rightly 
the  lesson  which  God  is  trying  to  teach. 

"The  concerted  efforts  on  behalf  of  Christian  edu- 
cation by  the  Protestant  Churches  of  this  country  con- 
stitute the  most  significant  as  well  as  the  most  hope- 
ful movement  of  the  age.  It  is  providential.  It  is  God- 
inspired.  It  is  the  current  of  God  in  the  life  of  the  world. 
It  has  a  big  program,  a  great  objective.  It  undertakes 
no  less  a  task  then  the  conquest  of  all  the  educational 
and  social  processes  of  the  nation  with  the  mind  of 
Jesus  Christ.  It  proposes  to  Christianize  all  spheres 
of  life — social,  industrial,  political,  and  educational. 

"Its  first  task  is  to  develop  in  the  minds  of  the  entire 
Protestant  population  of  America  a  deep  conviction  of 
the  supreme  value  and  absolute  necessity  of  Christian 
education  and  through  their  multifarious  channels  of 
contact  to  impress  the  same  views  upon  the  rest  of  the 
American  people. 

''Its  next  task  is  through  leaders  turned  out  by  our 
Christian  schools  for  all  walks  of  life,  to  permeate  all 
life  spheres  with  the  Christian  spirit  and  ideals,  includ- 
ing industry,  education,  poHtics,  and  society.  In  this 
way  our  pubhc  schools  and  big  universities  would  be- 
come Christian  because  they  would  reflect  the  pubhc 
opinion  of  the  nation.  This  movement  for  Christian- 
izing education  is,  therefore,  fundamental  and  goes  to 
the  very  heart  of  civilization.  The  issue  is  no  less  than 
the  ideals  of  organized  society,  whether  they  shall  be 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


41 


Christian  or  heathen,  whether  mankind  shall  continue 
to  stumble,  fall,  bleed,  and  die  controlled  by  the  ethics 
of  the  jungle,  or  whether  they  will  organize  their  educa- 
tional and  social  processes  according  to  the  teaching  of 
Jesus.  The  latter  will  give  stability  and  permanence 
to  society." 

A  Fundamental  Fact  in  Modern  Business  Life  Is 
the  Christian  Religion 

"Recently  Mr.  Roger  Babson,  a  Hfe-long  statistician, 
studied  the  heads  of  one  hundred  leading  industries  of 
America  and  found  that  5%  of  the  milKonaires  heading 
up  these  industries  are  the  sons  of  bankers,  10%  the 
sons  of  merchants  and  manufacturers,  25%  the  sons  of 
teachers,  doctors,  and  country  lawyers,  while  over  30% 
were  the  sons  of  preachers  whose  salaries  did  not  exceed 
an  average  of  $1,500  a  year.  The  significance  of  these 
figures  is  their  emphasis  of  the  spiritual  element  in  life 
as  a  quahfication  for  big  business.  The  men  of  large 
affairs  come  not  from  the  homes  of  luxury  in  whose  at- 
mosphere Christian  ideals  do  not  thrive,  but  from  the 
humble  homes  of  teachers,  doctors,  and  preachers,  whose 
atmosphere  is  conducive  to  spiritual  growth  and  which 
make  sacrifices  for  the  Christian  education  of  children.'' 

The  Security  for  Investments  Is  in  Christian 
Character 

"Railroad  and  industrial  stocks  and  bonds  rest  for  real 
security  not  upon  running  stock,  well-kept  tracks  and  fac- 
tories, but  upon  the  honesty  and  integrity  of  the  people. 


42 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


If  fifty-one  per  cent  of  the  people  are  honest,  indus- 
trious and  law-abiding,  the  stocks  are  safe  investments. 
If  fifty-one  per  cent  of  the  people  are  dishonest  and  law- 
less, the  bonds  have  an  insecure  foundation.  The  thing 
which  makes  the  present  disturbed  situation  in  the 
world  a  matter  of  concern  to  business  man  is  not  the 
lack  of  wealth  as  a  basis  for  securities,  but  the  lack  of 
character  in  the  people,  the  possibihty  that  the  ex- 
periences of  mankind  within  the  last  six  years  have 
shaken  their  moral  and  rehgious  rootings.  Invest- 
ments in  Russia,  Italy,  or  Mexico  are  not  safe  now. 
Hence,  perhaps  there  never  was  so  much  need  of  a  re- 
turn to  the  religious  sanctions  and  old  faiths  of  the 
people. 

"On  a  visit  to  South  America  Mr.  Babson,  as  the 
guest  of  the  president  of  the  Argentine  Republic, 
was  asked  by  the  latter  to  tell  him  why  South  America 
with  far  greater  material  resources,  though  settled  first, 
is  so  backward  compared  to  North  America.  Mr.  Babson 
evaded  the  question  by  asking  the  president  himself 
what  his  explanation  of  it  was.  He  replied  that  the 
Spaniards  who  settled  South  America  came  to  seek 
gold,  while  the  Pilgrim  fathers  who  settled  North  Amer- 
ica came  to  seek  God. 

"The  Christian  Education  Movement,  therefore, 
in  proposing  to  Christianize  all  educational  processes 
and  through  them  all  industrial,  business  and  political 
life,  is  striking  at  the  very  root  of  the  troubles  of  a  dis- 
ordered world  and  is  proposing  to  supply  the  very 
element—moral  and  spiritual — that  a  disturbed  busi- 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


43 


iness  and  political  situation  requires  to  give  it  balance 
and  stability/' 

Americanism 

"Much  is  said  these  days  about  Americanism.  This 
Christian  Education  Movement  of  the  Protestant 
Churches  is  true  Americanism. 

'It  harks  back  to  the  fundamental  principle  of  Amer- 
ican civiHzation — the  common  law  of  America,  as  Daniel 
Webster  said — the  Christian  religion.  Let  us  not  for- 
get that  one  of  the  first  things  which  the  Pilgrims  did 
after  landing  in  America  v/as  to  establish  a  school,  and 
it  was  a  Christian  school,  founded  to  fight  ignorance, 
one  of  Satan's  chief  allies  in  his  warfare  on  man.  The 
Christian  idea  was  dominant  in  our  education  in  the 
Colonial  era  and  has  been  a  conspicuous  element  in 
American  education  throughout  our  national  history.  In 
Germany  Prussianism  used  education  as  a  tool  of  mili- 
tarism; in  America  it  has  been  used  to  promote  the 
Christian  ideals  of  democracy,  liberty,  and  humanity. 
All  of  our  early  colleges  were  founded  by  the  Church  and 
the  great  majority  of  American  colleges  to-day  belong 
to  the  Church. 

''Bishop  Candler  says  what  the  world  needs  to-day 
is  a  leadership  that  will  call  us  back  to  funda- 
mentals. He  is  right.  The  cheap  leaders  of  the 
day  spurn  the  principles  and  institutions  of  the  past. 
They  are,  therefore,  radicals  and  want  to  overthrow 
our  social,  religious,  and  governmental  institutions. 
This  is  characteristic  of  cheap  leaders.  Bolshevism, 


44 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


triumphant  in  Russia,  now  gaining  a  strong  hold  on 
Italy,  and  poisoning  the  minds  of  many  laboring  people 
in  all  countries,  forcibly  illustrates  this  fact.  Radicahsm 
has  gained  a  stronger  hold  on  America  than  many 
think.  What  this  country  needs  is  to  go  back  to  the 
first  principles  of  Americanism — the  Christian  religion, 
Christian  education,  constitutional  government,  liberty 
under  law. 

*This  Christian  Education  Movement  of  the  Prot- 
estant Churches  is  basic,  and  if  the  American  people 
prize  their  rich  heritage — civil  and  religious  liberty, 
property  rights  and  constitutional  government — a 
heritage  which  is  their  glory,  and  if  they  wish  to  per- 
petuate its  blessing  to  posterity,  they  will  respond 
whole-heartedly  to  the  Movement  and  will  equip  our 
Christian  schools  for  the  larger  task  ahead  of  them. 
If  they  do  not,  they  or  their  children  may  see  their 
property  and  their  free  institutions  go  up  in  the  smoke 
of  red  revolution." — J.  H.  Reynolds. 

The  Christian  Spirit  Must  Permeate  All  Education 

"This  means  that  the  whole  community  must  come 
to  a  reaHzation  of  the  rehgious  nature  of  education,  of 
the  necessity  of  permeating  all  education  with  the 
religious  spirit.  Here  is  the  heart  of  the  whole  matter. 
The  minister  of  a  great  institutional  Church  in  New 
York  City  asks:  'Why  should  I  give  the  people  every 
thing  but  that  which  sends  me  to  them?  If  the  Chris- 
tian spirit  inspires  men  and  women  to  carry  education 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


45 


to  the  masses  of  the  people,  are  they  not  obHgated  to 
j  cany  the  spirit  of  reHgion  into  all  education?' 
I     ''Are  they  not  also  obHgated  to  make  the  Bible  and 

religion  a  recognized  part  of  education?  Progress  is 
1  already  being  made.  The  introduction  of  graded  lessons 
j  and  modern  methods  of  teaching  is  making  the  Sunday 

•  school  a  truly  educational  institution.  Successful  e:c~ 
periments  in  several  States  point  to  the  day  of  universal 
week-daij  instruction  in  religion  under  the  direction  of 
the  Churches  and  correlated  with  the  puhlic  school. 

"It  was  a  great  day  for  community  progress  when 
the  schools  began  to  teach  appHed  science.  It  will  be 
a  greater  day  when  all  of  the  Churches  teach  apphed 

■  rehgion.  But  this  will  require  that  the  teaching  of  re- 
ligion go  on  in  the  home,  the  market  place,  the  workshop , 
as  well  as  in  the  Church.  Of  what  avail  to  teach  the 
child  certain  ideals  of  life  one  hour  of  the  day  in  the 

•  week,  if  for  six  days  in  the  week  the  total  pressure  of 
:  the  community  Hfe  is  against  the  reahzation  of  these 

ideals  and  some  sections  of  the  com.munity  definitely 
teach  him  other  ideals.    The  total  possible  wealth  of 
the  Commonwealth  of  God  will  not  be  realized  until  all 
j  the  forces  of  the  community  are  turned  to  the  vital 
■•  teaching  of  rehgion,'' — Ward-Edwards,  Christianizing 
:  Community  Life,  pp.  57-58. 

The  Kingdom  Elxtends  through  Education 

f 

J  "1  have  never  had  a  gloomy  outlook  for  the  future 
.'of  the  human  race.    I  beheve  that  its  only  hope  for 

■  strength  of  character,  for  peace  and  happiness  is  in  the 


46 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


determination  of  its  relation  to  Jesus  Christ;  but  it  is 
my  firm  conviction  that  some  day  before  the  end  of  time 
the  whole  race  will  be  brought  to  him,  and  then  a  pros- 
perous, peaceful,  and  powerful  world  will  live,  perhaps 
for  a  long  time,  in  the  glory  of  his  spiritual  presence. 
It  is  my  conviction,  however,  that  this  glad  day  will  not 
come  by  means  of  cyclonic  revivals,  as  great  good  as 
they  may  do;  they  reach  but  a  small  per  cent  of  people 
and  often  react  in  the  case  of  very  large  numbers.  It  is 
the  steady,  persistent  teaching  of  the  principles  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  growth  of  calm  and  mighty 
character,  the  development  of  genuine  Christian  life 
that  really  counts  in  the  making  of  the  world  per- 
manently good.  Educative  processes  are  to  play  an 
unlimited  part  in  the  salvation  of  men,  and  the  educa- 
tion that  reaches  the  whole  man,  shapes  the  intellectual 
life,  and  controls  the  emotions  is  essential  to  the  devel- 
opment of  character.  I  beheve  in  an  emotional  life, 
but  it  must  be  the  outburst  of  principles  deeply  im- 
planted in  heart  and  brain  and  not  the  temporary  re- 
sult of  merely  outward  influence.  I  believe  in  revivals 
but  I  do  not  believe  that  revivals  alone  can  save  the 
world;  we  need  a  culture,  a  teaching,  and  power  of  lead- 
ership to  lay  firm  the  foundation  of  our  spiritual  life." 
— C.  R.  Jenkins. 

(Read  'The  Church  College  and  the  Supply  of  Chris- 
tian Workers,''  by  C.  R.  Jenkins,  published  by  the  Board 
of  Education  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South.) 


j 

i 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


47 


Ontthink  the  Pagan  World 

"In  his  delightful  Httle  book,  'The  Jesus  of  History/ 
Prof.  T.  R.  Glover  has  an  illuminating  chapter  on 
The  Christian  Church  in  the  Roman  Empire.'  He 
discusses  the  'victory  of  the  Christian  Church  over  the 
pagan  world.'  The  old  pagan  rehgion  had  enormous 
strength.  It  was  universally  accepted;  it  had  great 
traditions;  it  had  all  the  splendor  of  art  and  ritual — 
'everything  that,  to  the  ordinary  mind,  could  make  for 
reality  and  power,  to  show  how  absolutely  inconceiv- 
able it  was  that  it  could  ever  pass  away.'  Into  this 
pagan  world  came  the  Christian  Church — 'a  ludicrous 
collection  of  trivial  people,  very  ignorant  and  very 
common ;  fishermen  and  pubHcans,  as  the  Gospels  show 
us,  "the  baker  and  the  fuller,"  as  Celsus  said  with  a 
sneer' — and  yet  the  Christian  Church  conquered  that 
great  pagan  world. 

"How  did  it  do  this?  Professor  Glover  gives  three 
great  reasons:  the  Christian  'outlived'  the  pagan;  he 
'outdied'  him;  and  he  'outthought'  him.  The 
Christian  lived  such  a  life  of  moral  purity  and  beauty 
as  the  world  had  never  seen  before;  the  Christian,  al- 
though burned  at  the  stake  or  wrapped  in  the  skins  of 
wild  beasts  and  thrown  into  the  amphitheater  for  the 
amusement  of  the  spectators,  died  such  a  death  of 
peace  and  victory  as  the  world  had  never  seen  before. 

"But  this  was  not  all.  The  early  Church  did  not 
overcome  the  ancient  pagan  world  simply  by  'out- 
living' it  and  by  'outdying'  it.  The  early  Church 
'outthoughf  the  ancient  pagan  world.    And  if  it  had 


48 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


not  outthought  it,  it  would  never  have  overcome  it. 
The  Christians  were  conscious  of  their  intellectual 
superiority,  and  they  made  others  aware  of  it. 

"To-day  Christianity  is  face  to  face  with  a  revival 
of  paganism.  The  philosophy  taught  in  our  American 
universities  is  for  the  most  part  a  pagan  philosophy. 
Besides,  there  has  come  about  the  universal  teaching  of 
evolution  and  higher  criticism  and  sociology.  What 
shall  be  the  attitude  of  the  Church  toward  all  these 
things?  There  is  but  one  Christian  attitude — that  all 
truth  is  of  God.  There  is  but  one  thing  for  the  Church 
to  do— ^0  outthink  the  modern  pagan  world.  If  the 
Church  cannot  outthink  the  modern  pagan  world,  it 
will  die — and  it  ought  to  die." — Bishop  E.  D.  Mouzon. 

(Read  "The  Duty  of  the  Church  to  Educate,'^  by 
Bishop  E.  D.  Mouzon,  published  by  the  Christian 
Education  Commission.) 

Shifting  from  Germany  to  America 

"The  educational  center  of  the  world  has  been  shift- 
ed by  the  war. 

"Prior  to  1914  Germany  taught  the  teachers  of  the 
world  through  her  universities.  That  was  not  good  for 
the  world,  because  the  German  type  of  education  tended 
to  exalt  human  reason  above  divine  revelation  and  to 
dethrone  Christ  and  deify  the  State.  However,  it 
profited  Germany  commercially  and  pohtically.  If 
it  had  continued  awhile  longer,  it  seems  probable  that 
the  German  Empire  might  have  dominated  mankind. 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


49 


But  that  dream  has  been  dispelled,  and  the  world  will 
turn  elsewhere  for  its  education  in  future.  Where  v/ill 
it  turn? 

"It  will  turn  probably  to  the  United  States.  The 
nations  of  the  earth  trust  us  as  they  trust  no  other 
people.  European  nations  appreciate  the  strength  and 
unselfishness  of  America  as  they  never  did  before,  and 
the  nations  of  the  Orient  look  with  increased  confidence 
and  hope  toward  our  country.  To  disappoint  such 
trust  and  betray  such  confidence  would  disgrace  us  and 
damage  the  human  race." 

''A  more  religious  tyj)e  of  education  than  that  which 
has  prevailed  in  Germany  must  now  be  offered  the 
world,  or  the  last  state  of  the  case  will  be  far  worse  than 
the  first.  An  education  which  imparts  power  without 
imparting  at  the  same  time  rehgious  conviction  to  con- 
trol and  direct  the  power  which  it  produces  will  set 
the  world  afire  again,  as  it  did  in  1914,  and  the  next 
conflagration  will  be  more  destructive  of  human  fife 
and  property  than  that  which  has  com-e  so  near  to  • 
burning  down  the  world  during  the  last  few  years.  A 
culture  which  is  not  Christian  is  corrupting. 

"If  our  country  is  to  become  one  of  the  great  teach- 
ing nations  of  the  earth,  it  is  important  that  its  type  of 
education  be  emphatically  and  thoroughly  Christian." 
— Bishop  W,  A.  Candler. 

(Read  'The  Universities  of  the  Church  in  the  Life 
of  To-day,"  by  Bishop  V:',  A.  Candler,  pubhshed  by  the 
Board  of  Education  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South.) 
4 


50 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


The  Groping  World  and  Its  Need 

"If  there  ever  was  a  moment  in  the  world's  history 
when  the  stabiHzing,  healing  forces  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion were  needed,  it  is  now.  The  world  we  once  knew 
is  shattered,  confused  with  baffling  uncertainties,  in 
sorrow,  disillusionment,  and  in  the  agony  of  dimmed  and 
disappointed  ideals  is  trying  to  find  its  way  to  some 
road  over  which  it  may  walk  in  security  and  hope  and 
happiness.  It  has  not  yet  found  the  way,  but  it  has 
the  conviction  that  the  road  over  which  it  must  go 
should  be  built  on  the  sohd  foundation  of  the  ancient 
spiritualities  of  faith,  justice,  righteousness,  brother- 
liness,  and  service,  and  that  nothing  will  stand  that  is 
not  so  built.  If  these  essential  spirituahties  are  to  be 
made  available  for  re-creating  and  reconstructing  that 
newer  world  of  our  dreams,  they  must  somehow  be 
gotten  into  our  system  of  education.'' 

''Whatever  other  kinds  of  education  the  world  par- 
ticularly needs  now,  it  does  need  in  a  generous  measure 
what  is  understood  by  rehgious  education.  And  this 
our  Movement  must  seek  to  have  the  Church  realize 
as  an  obligation  which  it  owes  to  a  troubled  and  con- 
fused world,  a  real  gospel  which  it  is  the  business  of  the 
Church  to  preach  and  supply." — H.  N.  Snyder. 

(Read  "What  the  Educational  Campaign  Seeks  to 
Accomplish,"  by  H.  N.  Snyder,  published  by  the 
Board  of  Education  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South.) 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


51 


The  War  Taisght  Us  a  Lesson 

"Probably  the  lesson  which  the  war  makes  to  stand  out 
most  conspicuously  is  that  education  is  the  strongest  force 
in  typing  civilization  and  therefore  the  biggest  task  of  man. 
Modern  Germany  is  perhaps  more  completely  the  prod- 
uct of  her  system  of  education  than  any  other  nation 
in  the  world,  and  her  education  is  largely  responsible 
for  the  war." 

''The  most  important  lesson  taught  by  the  war  is  that 
our  education  should  be  Christian  in  spirit.  Indeed,  it 
may  be  safe  to  say  that  any  education  not  Christian  in 
its  ethics  is  dangerous.  To  this  view  a  growing  num- 
ber of  educators  in  secular  schools,  including  State  uni- 
versities, are  turning.  Whereas  a  few  years  ago  in  edu- 
cational gatherings  the  note  most  commonly  sounded 
was  secular,  and  in  our  universities  the  spirit  and 
teaching  were  unchristian  if  not  anti-Christian,  now  a 
different  voice  is  heard,  and  there  appears  to  be  a  grow- 
ing demand  that  the  Christian  element  shall  have  a 
larger  place  in  our  education.  For  our  leaders  at  last 
understand  that  German  education  was  a  return  to  the 
ethics  of  the  jungle,  to  the  god  of  might,  a  dehberate 
attempt  to  overthrow  all  moral  principles  of  modern 
civilization,  to  make  German  kultur  dominant  in  the 
Hfe  of  the  nation  and  later  in  the  hfe  of  the  world." 

''Germany  and  the  great  war  offer  the  strongest 
argument  possible  for  Christian  education,  yea,  for  the 
Christian  college.  The  nation  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die. 
The  people  without  vision  perish,  and  vision  is  fur- 


52 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


nished  by  leaders.  All  three  of  the  great  prophets  of 
the  war  were  the  products  of  the  Christian  college. 
The  supreme  task  of  the  Christian  college  is  to  burn 
into  the  soul  of  the  future  leaders  of  the  nation  the 
spiritual  idealism  that  will  leaven  the  whole  lump.  In 
the  light  of  the  war  the  educational  Movement  upon 
which  we  are  proposing  to  enter  has  far-reaching  nation- 
al and  world  consequences. 

"The  war  between  types  of  civiHzation,  between 
Christian  culture  and  German  kuUur,  is  now  on,  and  the 
consequences  of  the  struggle  will  be  infinitely  more  im- 
portant than  the  issues  of  the  great  war  just  closed. 
That  war  was  a  physical  contest,  and  the  sword  finally 
settles  nothing.  The  war  now  on  is  spiritual  and  has 
for  its  end  the  spiritual  conquest  of  the  world,  and  we, 
leaders  of  Christian  education  in  the  most  powerful 
nation,  are  officers  in  the  army  of  the  living  God. 
This  fact  lifts  the  movement  far  above  the  petty  in- 
terests of  our  respective  schools  and  colleges,  makes 
it  one  of  the  decisive  battles  of  history,  and  in  the 
light  of  this  fact  we  must  sink  all  differences  arising 
out  of  the  conflicting  interests  of  our  institutions  and 
unite  in  winning  one  of  the  greatest  victories  for  Chris- 
tian civiHzation." — J.  H.  Reynolds. 

(Read  "Lessons  of  the  World  War  in  the  Field  of 
Education,"  by  J.  H.  Reynolds,  pubHshed  by  the 
Board  of  Education  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South.) 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


53 


Other  Literature  to  Be  Read 

The  last  General  Conference  with  prophetic  insight 
saw  how  fundamental  Christian  education  is  to  the 
life  of  the  Church  and  to  civihzation.  Every  one  should 
read  the  soul-stirring  address  on  the  subject  delivered 
by  the  last  General  Conference.  See  page  9  in  Educa- 
tional Survey  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 

For  copy  of  the  deliverance  of  the  College  of  Bishops 
on  Christian  Education  see  the  Educational  Survey, 
pp.  13  and  14. 

"General  Statement,''  found  on  pages  15  and  16  of 
Educational  Survey,  is  a  statesmanlike  deliverance 
and  should  be  read  in  this  connection. 

"The  Paramount  Need  of  Christian  Education," 
by  the  Methodist  Educational  Association,  is  a  great 
State  paper.  For  copy  see  pages  17  and  18  of  Educa- 
tional Survey. 


VI 


CHRISTIAN  STEWARDSHIP 

''To  lead  at  least  5,000  young  men  and  women  to  pledge 
themselves  to  devote  their  lives  to  the  ministry,  to  missions, 
or  to  some  other  form  of  Christian  service,  and  to  seek  a 
Christian  education  as  a  preparation  for  effective  life 
service'' — the  third  objective  of  the  Christian  Edu- 
cation Movement. 

As  the  Christian  Education  Movement  deals  with 
fundamentals  in  the  life  of  the  Church,  we  must  seek 
to  develop  in  all  of  our  members  and  constituency  an 
abiding  faith  in  and  practice  of  Christian  stewardship — 
stewardship  of  time,  of  wealth,  of  talents,  and  of  hfe. 
Out  of  this  behef  and  practice  will  come  sufficient  man 
power  to  carry  on  all  departments  of  Christian  service 
and  funds  enough  to  support  adequately  all  institutions 
and  agencies  of  the  Church. 

Our  Church  could  place  1,048  well-trained  preachers 
without  displacing  a  single  itinerant  preacher.  There 
were  that  many  supplies.  At  the  recent  session  of  the 
Western  Virginia  Annual  Conference,  one  presiding 
elder  said  that  his  district  had  thirteen  suppHes; 
that  in  his  district  the  question  was  not  money,  but 
men.  He  stated  that  the  people  were  ready  to  pay 
good  salaries  and  were  calling  for  strong  men.  In  many 
parts  of  the  Church  stations  would  be  created  if  the 
bishop  could  provide  the  preachers. 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


55 


Workers  Needed  Immediately 

There  is  a  shortage  of  800  preachers  in  the  M.  E. 
Church,  South.  That  many  churches  are  either  closed 
because  they  cannot  obtain  pastors,  or  they  are  "sup- 
pHed"  by  men  who  have  no  equipment  for  the  work  of 
the  ministry. 

The  Board  of  Missions  needs  1,000  miissionaries  to 
carry  out  the  Centenary  program — and  scarcely  ten  per 
cent  of  that  number  have  been  discovered. 

The  Home  Department  is  searching  for  hundreds  of 
workers  among  the  mountaineers,  miners,  immigrants, 
Indians,  negroes,  and  in  the  rural  sections,  cities,  and 
mission  schools  of  the  South  and  West.  Perhaps  a 
dozen  of  these  have  been  found  in  the  last  year,  and  no 
more  are  in  sight. 

The  Woman's  Missionary  Council  is  scouring  the 
country  for  trained  young  women  to  serve  the  Church 
at  home  and  abroad  as  missionaries,  deaconesses,  nurses, 
and  teachers.  Scarcely  a  tithe  of  the  num-ber  needed 
can  be  found. 

Scores  of  Churches  are  looking  and  advertising  in 
vain  for  pastors'  assistants  and  directors  of  religious 
education,  while  the  schools  and  colleges  of  Methodism 
find  it  extremely  difficult  to  secure  the  right  kind  of 
Christian  teachers. 

In  the  language  of  the  day,  the  M.  E.  Church,  South, 
is,  *'up  against  it"  for  trained  Christian  workers  of 
every  kind.  This  is  a  serious,  distressing  fact.  And  it 
is  true  in  a  day  when  Christian  leaders  and  workers 


56 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


are  needed  as  never  before.  The  simple  truth  is  that 
the  world  will  plunge  to  red  ruin  unless  they  are  found 
speedily. 

This  is  not  only  true  in  the  M.  E.  Church,  South. 
There  is  not  a  Christian  organization  on  earth  which 
has  a  sufficient  supply  of  workers. 

The  various  denominations  must  find  100,000  trained 
men  and  women  in  the  next  five  years  to  properly  man 
the  mission  fields.  The  Lord  alone  knows  where  and 
how  they  can  be  secured — or  whether  they  will  be 
secured  at  all. 

Right  now  5,000  missionaries  will  be  required  to 
bring  Protestant  work  to  the  point  where  it  would  have 
been  if  the  war  had  not  occurred. 

The  Northern  Methodist  Church  alone  is  trying  to 
find  13,000  foreign  workers,  and  its  work  is  on  a  25  per 
cent  basis  in  India,  150,000  converts  being  turned  away 
each  year,  because  workers  cannot  be  found. 

The  Presbyterians  tell  us  their  foreign  work  could 
use  the  entire  output  of  their  seminaries  regularly,  thus 
leaving  not  one  man  for  the  pulpits  at  home. 

So  we  Methodists  of  Dixie  Land  are  not  alone  in  our 
distress  at  the  dearth  of  workers.  But  we  are  per- 
haps a  little  "worse  off''  than  the  others  because  many, 
very  many,  of  our  choicest  young  people  leave  us  be- 
cause the  better  equipped  colleges  and  universities 
of  our  sister  denominations  offer  them  greater  induce- 
ments— and  they  leave  us  because  we  will  not  give 
them,  the  same  advantages  they  can  obtain  elsewhere. 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


57 


Shall  we  go  out  of  the  business  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God? 

(Read  "Some  Facts  for  the  People  Called  Methodists/' 
hj  Elmer  T.  Clark,  pubhshed  by  the  Christian  Edu- 
cation Commission.) 

Gladstone  on  Tithing 

"In  regard  to  money — there  is  a  great  advantage  in 
its  methodical  use.  Especially  is  it  wise  to  dedicate 
a  certain  portion  of  our  means  to  purposes  of  charity 
and  religion,  and  this  is  more  easily  begun  in  youth  than 
in  after  life.  The  greatest  advantage  of  miaking  a  little 
fund  of  this  kind  is  that  when  we  are  asked  to  give,  com- 
petition is  not  between  self  on  the  one  hand  and  any 
charity  on  the  other,  but  between  the  different  pur- 
poses of  religion  and  charity  with  one  another,  among 
which  we  ought  to  make  the  most  careful  choice.  It 
is  desirable  that  the  tenth  of  our  means  be  dedicated 
to  God,  and  it  tends  to  bring  a  blessing  on  the  rest.  No 
one  can  tell  the  richness  of  the  blessings  that  come  to 
those  who  thus  honor  the  Lord  with  their  substance." 
— W.  E.  Gladstone,  in  a  letter  to  his  son. 

The  Tithe  as  Necessary  as  the  Sabbath 

"We  need  some  practical  abiding  principle  like  tith- 
ing to  make  sure  that  the  principle  of  stewardship  is  a 
reahty  in  our  lives  and  that  we  do  not  inwardly  find 
ourselves  swept  into  self-deception.  It  is  the  easiest 
thing  in  the  world  for  a  man  who  does  not  deal  with  God 


58 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


in  the  matter  of  obligation  as  he  does  with  his  fellows  j 
to  find  that  he  has  not  been  giving  God  his  due.  I  will 
just  ask  any  man  who  is  here  in  this  room  this  morning  | 
who  has  adopted  the  minimum  principle  of  the  tithe! 
if  he  did  not  discover  that  in  the  old  days  he  was  out- 
rageously robbing  God.  Just  exactly  as  we  need  the 
Sabbath  for  some  such  purpose  as  this  to  make  sure 
of  the  recognition  of  all  time  as  sacred  to  the  Lord  of 
Life,  just  so  do  we  need  the  recognition  of  our  tithe 
obhgation  to  God  in  the  matter  of  our  wealth." — 
Robert  E.  Speer. 

"One  more  revival,  only  one  more  is  needed,  the 
revival  of  Christian  stewardship,  the  consecration  of 
the  money  power  to  God.  When  that  revival  comes 
the  Kingdom  of  God  will  come  in  a  day.'' — Horace 
Bushnell. 

''Throughout  the  four  Gospels  one  verse  in  every  seven 
deals  with  man's  attitude  toward  property,  and  sixteen 
of  Christ's  thirty-eight  parables  refer  to  this  subject. 
Christ  taught  that  selfishness  is  man's  chief  sin.  Ma- 
teriaHsm  is  America's  greatest  danger.  If  a  man  be 
truly  Christian,  he  loves  his  Lord  more  than  his  money. 
''Ye  can  not  serve  God  and  mammon." 

Who  Owns  Your  House? 

You  think  your  house  belongs  to  you,  but  if  the 
state  decides  that  a  railroad  shall  run  over  the  spot 
where  your  house  stands,  you  must  surrender  it.  The 
house  does  not  actually  belong  to  you,  but  to  society. 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


59 


This  is  the  "right  of  eminent  domain."  We  had  surely- 
thought  our  Hves  and  bodies  belonged  to  us,  indi- 
vidually, until  the  war  came.  Then  we  found  that  this 
was  not  true  at  all.  Our  lives  and  bodies  belonged 
to  society;  we  were  compelled  to  put  our  life  where 
society,  through  the  government,  directed. 

Definitions  of  ownership  are  being  remade.  What 
gives  a  man  title  to  his  possessions?  The  new  tax  laws 
are  taking  from  men  profits  and  part  of  their  income 
which  they  had  always  believed  belonged  to  them  in- 
dividually and  by  right.  Society  says:  *'No;  this  much 
belongs  to  us,"  and  the  individual  must  yield.  But 
God  does  not  stop  with  a  portion.  God  is  the  owner 
of  all  things. 

From  "Les  Miserables" 

Bishop  Muriel,  in  "Les  Miserables,"  says  to  the 
director  of  the  hospital  adjoining  his  palace: 

"Come,  director,  I  will  tell  you  what  it  is.  There  is 
evidently  a  mistake.  You  have  twenty-six  persons  in 
five  or  six  small  rooms.  There  are  only  three  of  us  and 
we  have  room  for  fifty.  There  is  a  mistake,  I  repeat; 
I  you  have  my  house,  and  I  have  yours.  Restore  me 
mine." 

I  And,  unhke  many  of  us,  the  bishop  did  not  let  the 
matter  rest  at  the  point  of  good  intent,  for  the  narra- 
tive continues — in  Hugo's  terse  words: 

"The  next  day  the  twenty-six  poor  patients  were  in- 
stalled in  the  bishop's  palace  and  the  bishop  was  in 
the  hospital." 


60 


TALKING  POINTS  OA 


Stewardship  and  Tithing  Points 

The  Church  cannot  be  silent  on  the  subject  of  monej 
and  do  its  duty  to  God  and  the  world. 

The  purpose  of  stewardship  and  tithing  presenta;  ^ 
tion  is  primarily  to  achieve  spiritual  ends,  to  get  mei 
right  with  God.  ' 

An  important  by-product  will  be  an  adequate  suppor  ^ 
of  all  Church  enterprises.  i  ^ 

God,  the  creator  and  preserver  of  all  things,  is  alscj 
the  owner  of  all  things.  1' 

To  deny  his  ownership  is  to  dispute  the  clear  am  J 
emphatic  declarations  of  our  Lord,  and  is  in  effect  i 
denial  of  God's  sovereignty.  I 

Men  hold,  not  as  absolute  owners  but  as  God's  trus- 
tees or  stewards,  all  property  which  they  rightfully  s 
possess. 

Between  man  and  man  ownership  is  absolute.  Be-  ^ 
tween  man  and  God  it  is  relative,  a  possession,  a  trust  | 

Avarice  is  one  of  the  most  universal  and  insidious  | 
sins  known  to  man.    Paul  declares  that,  "the  love  oi 
money  is  a  root  of  all  kinds  of  evil." 

Christ  repeatedly  and  in  the  clearest  and  most  em-  ' 
phatic  manner  taught  the  principles  of  Christiar 
stewardship.  See  parables  of  the  Talents,  the  Pound  ^ 
the  Rich  Fool,  Dives  and  Lazarus,  and  Christ's  inter- 
view with  the  rich  young  ruler.  See  also  the  parable  ^ 
of  the  Unrighteous  Stewards,  Luke  xvi. 

Tithing  was  a  law  given  of  God,  by  means  to  us  un-j  ] 
known,  to  peoples  before  the  Jews  came  into  existence.  ^ 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  61 

I 

I  As  a  moral  law  it  v\7as  made  definite  and  binding 
I  upon  the  Jews,  but  did  not  represent  all  they  were  to 
I  pay  for  purposes  of  the  Kingdom. 

Christ  condemned  tithing  when  substituted  for 
weightier  matters  of  the  law,  but  did  not  abrogate  the 
moral  law  itself  any  more  than  he  abrogated  the  law 
concerning  the  Sabbath. 

This  aside,  we  cannot  think  God  expects  from  us 
less  in  proportion  to  our  income  than  he  required  of  the 
Jews  3,000  years  ago. 

Tithing  marks  the  lower,  not  the  upper,  limit  of 
Christian  stewardship. 

Tithing  should  be  an  acknowledgment  of,  not  a 
substitute  for,  Christian  stewardship. 

Tithing  from  the  right  motive  and  as  an  acknowl- 
edgment of  Christian  stewardship  deepens  the  spiritual 
life  and,  as  has  been  proved  again  and  again,  solves 
the  Church's  financial  problems. 

"Money  will  never  save  the  world,  but  the  world 
will  never  be  saved  without  money." 

"Money  that  belongs  to  God  and  is  kept  back  from 
him  is  the  greatest  obstacle  to  spiritual  development.'' 

"Stewardship  of  possession  is  essential  to  steward- 
ship of  life." 

Contributions  of  Protestantism  for  all  purposes  in 
1918  were  $249,000,000.  That  was  a  daily  per  capita 
of  two  cents  seven  mills  per  member.  Seventh-Day 
Adventists  gave  eleven  cents  six  mills.  A  billion  dollars 


62 


TALKING  POINTS 


a  year  for  missionary  and  educational  work  means  an 
average  daily  per  capita  contribution  of  thirteen  cents 
seven  mills  per  member.  It  can  be  done. 

(For  an  able  and  comprehensive  treatment  of  the 
subject  of  stewardship,  see  manual  on  Christian 
stewardship  pubHshed  by  Christian  Education  Move- 
ment.) 


VII 


DEEPENING  THE  SPIRITUAL  LIFE 

The  last  and  the  most  comprehensive  objective  of 
'the  Movement  is  to  deepen  the  moral  and  spiritual 
life  of  our  people  and  to  promote  the  spirit  of  Christian 
liberality. 

The  Church  proceeds  in  this  Movement  with  the 
profound  conviction  that  it  is  God's  great  enterprise. 
i[t  is  to  be  carried  forward  in  utmost  reliance  upon  his 
vill  and  upon  his  guidance.  In  the  development  of 
phe  Movement  we  see  the  unfolding  of  his  purpose, 
:he  accomplishment  of  his  designs,  and  the  establish- 
nent  of  his  Kingdom.  The  Church  cannot  do  this 
^eat  thing  except  in  the  strength  of  the  consciousness 
)f  God's  presence  and  help.  We  stand  at  the  beginning 
)f  the  Movement  and  say  with  Moses  of  old,  ''Except 
ihy  presence  go  with  us,  carry  us  not  up  hence." 

We  shall  not  be  able  to  carry  with  us  in  this  great 
ask  a  consciousness  of  God's  presence  except  as  we  are 
i'.onstantly  in  prayer.  Prayer  is  the  mighty  bond  which 
yill  bind  us  to  God  and  to  each  other  in  this  fellowship 
►f  service  and  intercession. 

This  Movement  gives  an  opportunity  to  preach  with 
enewed  emphasis  the  great  Christian  doctrine  of  the 
itewardship  of  property.  A  very  clear  conviction  on 
he  part  of  the  Church  of  the  truth  of  the  Christian 


64 


TALKING  POINTS , 


doctrine  of  the  stewardship  of  hfe  and  the  stewardshi] 
of  property  is  an  indispensable  need  of  this  hour.  Th< 
success  and  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  God  will  b< 
more  and  more  conditioned  by  the  strength  of  the  be 
lief  of  the  Church  in  this  doctrine  and  by  the  extent  o 
its  appKcation.  ti 
Ours  is  by  far  the  richest  nation  in  the  world.   Th  i 
prospect  is  that  the  wealth  of  our  people  will  increas  i 
in  the  future  with  a  rapidity  unknown  in  the  past  I 
What  shall  we  do  with  our  increasing  wealth?   Wha  m 
shall  we  do  with  the  lives  of  our  sons  and  daughters  m 
These  are  questions  of  tremendous  moment.   To  sav  u 
the  souls  of  our  people  a  goodly  number  of  their  son|  is 
and  daughters  must  be  dedicated  to  the  service  of  thi  of 
Kingdom  of  God  and  a  fair  share  of  their  wealth  mug  m 
be  consecrated  to  the  purpose  of  his  Kingdom.  ti 

to 

til 

1^ 
of 

k 
op 

k 

al 


Iti' 

I 


VIII 


^  SOURCE  OF  SUPPLY 

\. 

i|  We  cannot  insist  too  strongly  that  without  the  Chris- 
tian college  the  supply  of  ministers  and  missionaries 
evould  absolutely  cease.  From  1904  to  1909  North- 
^vestern  University,  an  institution  of  the  Methodist 
^  j]piscopal  Church,  furnished  four-fifths  as  many  re- 
ittruits  for  the  foreign  missionary  service  as  all  the  State 
i'miversities  in  America  combined.  There  is  one  State 
university  in  this  country  that  has  a  thousand  ]\Iethod- 
^st  students,  three  thousand  students  who  are  members 
-f)f  other  evangelical  Churches,  and  a  body  of  alumni 
ihumbering  eight  thousand.  Yet  in  the  past  six  years 
;his  university  has  furnished  less  than  twenty  ministers 
:o  all  the  evangehcal  Churches  com.bined. 

The  Christian  college  furnishes  all  the  leaders  to 
:he  Church.  The  number  of  preachers  without  col- 
lege training  who  have  attained  prominence  in  the  affairs 
Df  the  Church  is  so  small  as  to  be  neghgible.  It  is  a 
dgnificant  fact  that  thirty-one  of  the  fifty-three  bish- 
ops of  our  Church  were  Christian  educators.  It  is  evi- 
dence of  the  quality  of  men  engaged  in  our  education- 
al! work,  and  also  of  the  value  which  Methodism 
places  upon  Christian  education. 

I  More  Preachers  Are  Demanded 

!  /'If  we  are  to  expand  our  work,  to  meet  the  oppor- 
tunity and  responsibiHty  inescapably  ours  because 
5 


66 


TALKING  POINTS  Oi^ 


of  the  heritage  left  to  us  by  those  who  built  the  hous 
in  which  we  live,  because  of  the  open  door  before  whic' 
our  Lord  has  placed  us,  because  of  the  call  of  need  an< 
the  great  confidence  of  the  people  in  our  Church,  yes 
if  we  are  simply  to  hold  what  has  been  won,  w 
must  have  more  preachers  and  must  have  them  a 
once.  The  need  for  increased  numbers  cannot  b 
questioned. 

"Our  people  demand,  as  they  have  a  right  to  demanc 
a  ministry  in  every  respect  equal  to  our  opportunities 
The  fact  most  generally  overlooked  is  that  they  them' 
selves  must  provide  what  is  necessary  to  meet  thi 
demand.   The  Church  has  no  other  earthly  means  tha; 
those  which  its  members  place  in  its  hands.   It  is  no 
reasonable  to  call  on  the  Church  for  preachers  fitte^  , 
to  do  this  work,  and  at  the  same  time  to  give  the  Churc  ] 
nothing  with  which  to  fit  the  men.   What  would  bi , 
thought  of  the  intelligence  of  the  nation  that  called  fc  ' 
soldiers  and  refused  or  hesitated  to  supply  arms  an|j 
ammunition?  The  Church  will  find  the  men  when  th  ( 
members  supply  the  means,  because  our  Lord  ha  t 
never  failed,  nor  will  he  ever  fail  to  move  men  to  do  hi 
work." — Bishop  Collins  Denny.  i 

The  Christian  College  and  Missionaries  t 

The  Christian  Education  Movement  is  necessary  \  ^ 
the  Church  is  to  carry  out  its  enlarged  missionary  pre 
gram.  , 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


67 


"The  Foreign  Missionary  Movement  in  America 
had  its  first  impulse  on  a  college  campus.  Four  out  of 
five  of  our  present  ministers  and  missionaries  came  from 
the  Christian  college.  To  the  Church  the  loss  of  its 
colleges  would  be  irreparable.  Take  them  away  and  in 
ten  years  the  ministry  would  be  depleted  and  the 
Churches  bankrupt  of  leadership.'' 

("The  College  in  the  Church  Program,"  pubhshed 
by  the  Council  of  Church  Boards  of  Education  of  the 
United  States  of  America.) 

"Nearly  every  missionary  in  the  foreign  field  was 
educated  in  a  college  of  the  Church;  at  least  ninety  per 
cent  of  our  educated  ministry  love  some  Church  college 
^  as  their  Alma  Mater;  and  thousands  of  Sunday  school 
'  superintendents,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  secretaries,  Sunday  school 
teachers,  stewards,  and  deacons  have  come  out  of  the 
denominational  halls  of  learning.    The  Interchurch 
eWorld  Movement  declares  after  its  exhaustive  survey 
11  that  eighty  per  cent  of  educated  Church  workers  re- 
bceived  their  degrees  from  institutions  of  learning 
a  thoroughly  pervaded  by  the  spirit  of  Christianity.'' 
lij    "The  home  demands  the  v/ork  that  we  are  doing; 
for  we  must  have  a  cultured.  Christian  parenthood. 
The  State  demands  it;  for  the  very  safety  of  the  pubHc, 
ithe  permanence  and  power  of  civil  governmient,  the 
.moral  atmosphere  of  the  public,  the  religious  atmos- 
phere of  its  colleges  and  universities  depend  to  a  large 
'^sxtent  upon  the  men  and  women  educated  by  the 
Church  of  God.  The  Church  must  have  its  institutions 


68 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


of  learning  or  never  hope  again  for  an  educated  ministry. 
It  must  close  hundreds  of  its  missions  or  support  its 
colleges.  It  must  never  expect  a  great  lay  leadership 
if  it  shall  refuse  to  educate  its  young  men  and  women/' 
— C.  R.  Jenkins. 

(Read  "The  Church  College  and  the  Supply  of  Chris- 
tian Workers,"  by  C.  R.  Jenkins,  pubHshed  by  th€ 
Board  of  Education  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South.) 

The  College  Supports  Foreign  Missions 

The  Christian  college  is  the  main  support  of  Christian 
missions,  and  has  always  been.  On  the  field  the  lead- 
ing and  most  influential  missionary  institution  is  always 
the  school  or  college.  At  home  it  supplies  the  mission- 
ary dynamic  and  motive,  while  it  furnishes  practically 
all  of  the  workers  to  the  home  and  foreign  fields. 

In  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  out  oi 
288  missionaries,  236  were  educated  in  Methodist 
schools,  10  attended  other  Church  schools,  14  attended 
independent  colleges,  and  16  attended  State  schools. 
Only  12  went  to  the  field  without  college  training. 

'•'During  the  first  twenty-eight  years  of  the  history 
of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions,  201  men  were  sent  out  to  the  various  fields 
served.  Of  these,  159  v/ere  college  graduates,  although 
in  those  days  college  training  was  not  so  easy  to  obtain 
as  now." 

"The  rosters  of  some  mission  stations  seem  almost 
hke  the  alumni  rolls  of  certain  colleges.'' 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


69 


In  this  field  lies  one  of  the  greatest  justifications  for 
the  larger  endowment  of  Christian  colleges.  The  whole 
world  calls  for  missionaries;  to  produce  them  the  Chris- 
tian school  must  be  more  Hberally  supported. 

It  is  declared  that  100,000  trained  leaders  will  be 
necessary  to  properly  man  the  various  fields  in  the 
next  five  years;  that  13,000  will  be  needed  by  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  alone;  that  it  will  require  5,000 
foreign  missionaries  at  once  to  bring  the  work  of  Protes- 
tantism to  the  point  at  which  it  would  have  been  had 
not  the  war  occurred;  that  the  Foreign  Mission  Board 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  could  use  the  entire  output 
of  the  theological  schools,  leaving  none  for  the  ministry 
in  this  country;  that  the  Methodists  in  India  are  on  a 
25  per  cent  basis  of  efiiciencj^  baptizing  50,000  con- 
verts annually  and  turning  away  150,000  because  of 
an  insufficient  number  of  missionaries. 

The  Education..  Movement  and  tlie  Larger 
Missionary  Program 

''The  Education  Movement  and  the  Centenary 
I  program  are  so  closely  related  that  if  the  work  of  edu- 
cation is  not  definitely  strengthened,  we  had  just  as 
well  not  do  the  Centenary — indeed,  if  our  educational 
institutions  are  not  strengthened  in  a  new  educational 
crusade,  the  things  proposed  in  the  Centenary  will  not 
be  done. 

''And  here  hes  the  connection.  We  must  send  out 
in  the  Centenary  five  hundred  new  missionaries  to 


70  TALKING  POINTS  ON  I  ( 

our  foreign  fields  in  the  next  five  years.  This  says 
nothing  about  home  missionaries  and  the  special 
workers  we  need  in  the  Church  at  home,  nor  does  it  ^ 
take  account  of  the  scores  of  workers  that  must  go  into  ^ 
our  European  fields.  So  that  we  must  more  than 
double,  within  five  years,  the  personal  force  we  have 
built  up  in  foreign  lands  in  the  past  seventy  years  of 
our  history. 

"But  significant  as  are  these  numbers,  more  vital  far 
to  the  progress  of  our  work  is  the  quality  these  workers 
must  show;  and  for  the  production  of  that  quality 
we  are  dependent  upon  our  educational  institutions. 
The  difference  between  a  missionary  that  falls  in  by 
chance  without  fitting  and  the  other  who  fits  and 
fulfills  his  mission  is  a  difference  not  of  arithmetical, 
but  of  geometrical  pi'ogression.  If  our  missionaries 
must  be  weighed  as  well  as  counted  in  times  like  these, 
as  they  certainly  must,  then  culture  more  than  any- 
thing else  brings  down  the  scale  in  the  measurements 
of  manhood.  Only,  the  culture  that  counts  in  character 
is  the  culture  that  can  be  gotten  in  Christian  institu- 
tions, which  should  mean,  if  it  means  anything,  our 
own  Church  schools.  A  few  of  our  men  may  come  from 
State  and  independent  institutions,  but  the  bulk  of 
our  workers  we  must  get  from  our  denominational 
schools." 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


71 


^  Trained  in  the  Currents  of  Life 

:ial 

"The  missionary,  if  prepared  to  do  his  work,  must 
39  trained,  not  in  a  corner  and  shut  oft  while  training 

-.0 

rrom  the  rest  of  the  world.  We  do  not  want  a  niission- 

aa 

..^  ary  training  school  for  segi^egating  our  workers  in  the 
.j  period  of  their  training,  and  would  not  have  it  if  it 

svere  given  to  us  as  a  gracious  compHment.   We  want 

3ur  workers  trained  as  other  men  are  trained,  strong 
.J.  men,  human  men,  m^en  who  know  how  to  mix  and  work 
,3  with  other  mxen,  practical  m^en,  wise  mien,  men  who  know 

how  to  do  and  to  get  things  done,  and  that  means 
;  training  in  the  drifts  where  strong  man  are  found  and 
'  the  world's  leaders  at  home  are  made. 

"Nevertheless,  in  these  drifts  must  mingle  invisible 

influences  that  make  for  truth  and  righteousness  and 

■  the  strength  of  strong  characters.  The  armis  of  the 
Church  must  be  thrown  around  our  men,  even  in  the 
idrifts,  so  that  they  miay  not  be  swept  by  strong 

"  jworldly  tides  from  their  footing,  but  held  steady  and 
itrue  to  the  best  in  character  and  service.    The  drifts 
rjof  Hfe  and  progress,  v/ith  strong  tides  of  aspiration 

■  jand  service,  will  be  found  in  the  universities,  but  best 
r  found,  and  may  be  found  alone,  in  those  universities 
1  that  are  Christian. 

{     "Our  missionaries  must  take  special  courses  before 
1  they  go  out  and  during  furlough  when  in  this  country, 
and  these  courses  can  be  gotten,  as  we  need  them,  only 
in  our  own  great  schools.  We  do  not  want  our  w^orkers 
to  go  off  outside  of  our  own  territory,  into  communities 


72 


TALKING  POINTS  Oi^ 


of  alien  thought,  in  order  to  get  the  intellectual  stimulu 
or  technical  training  they  need." 

As  Providential  as  the  Centenary 

"Herein  I  sincerely  beheve  Hes  the  providence  of  thi^ 
Educational  Movement  as  a  movement  apart  from  the 
Centenary.  Many  loyal  friends  of  both  Movement; 
thought  we  should  have  gotten  together  as  did  ou] 
Baptists  friends,  and  made  one  drive  do  for  both.  '. 
did  not  think  so,  certainly  not  in  my  second  and  bettei 
thought.  The  General  Conference  was  right  when  11 
ordered  a  second  campaign.  If  we  had  gone  in  together 
the  presence  of  the  Educational  interest  would  have 
spoiled,  or  at  least  spht,  the  missionary  emphasis  oui 
Church  was  able  to  make  in  the  greatest  missionary 
situation  that  has  come  in  a  hundred  years  and  wil. 
not  come  in  another  hundred. 

"And  now  our  Educational  workers,  uncomplicated 
by  the  presence  of  any  other  great  interest,  may  go 
forth  to  lay  their  emphasis  not  upon  education,  but 
upon  that  for  which  we  stand,  a  definitely  Christian' 
education.  Into  schools,  churches,  homes,  they  will  go 
with  this  other  emphasis.  Our  people  will  be  awakened! 
anew  to  its  importance  and  will  send  their  children  toi 
their  own  Christian  schools.  We  shall  bring  forth  and 
burnish  into  new  brightness  our  old  Christian  educa- 
tional standards.  Our  educational  administrators  will 
get  a  new  vision  of  obligation,  and  a  new  baptism  for 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


78 


their  high  service,  and  our  workers  at  home  and  abroad, 
going  from  such  surroundings  with  all  the  tonic  and 
energy  of  such  an  atmosphere,  will  go  prepared  in  form 
and  spirit  to  do  the  work  of  world  redemption  pressing 
so  hardly  to  their  hands." — E.  H.  Rawlings. 

Education  and  Evangelism 

''Education  is  absolutely  indispensable  as  an  evan- 
gehstic  agency.  In  many  regards  there  is  no  more  ef- 
fective form  of  evangelistic  work  than  that  which  educa- 
tion affords.  In  the  first  place,  it  gives  access  to  classes 
otherwise  almost  inaccessible,  to  social  groups  and 
bodies  of  religious  opinion  otherwise  closed  to  us.  How 
otherwise,  except  by  medical  work,  would  we  have 
been  able  to  touch  the  Mohammedan  world?  How 
otherwise  would  we  be  reaching  certain  great  social 
strata  in  India?  It  operates  in  those  areas  with  con- 
tinuous power.  Evangelistic  work  at  the  best  operates 
now  and  then.  ... 

"Education  is  essential  to  evangelism  also,  because 
it  raises  up  our  leaders.  It  raises  up  leaders  for  the 
Church,  in  the  State,  and  in  industry.  It  is  interesting 
to  see  how,  whatever  the  theory  a  mission  starts  out 
with  may  be,  it  is  driven  inevitably  by  the  pressure  of 
the  facts  and  conditions  to  this  view,  either  to  do  edu- 
cation itself  or  else  to  struggle  against  any  neighboring 
missions  that  have  a  larger  pohcy  which  will  do  the 
education  for  it.  We  cannot  look  anywhere  in  the 
world  to-day  and  find  a  fruitful  mission  that  started 
out  as  a  so-called  purely  evangelistic  mission  that  was 


74 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


not  driven  either  itself  to  incorporate  educational  aims 
into  its  policy  or  else  to  relate  itself  to  other  missions 
which,  by  specialization  of  function  or  more  compre- 
hensive program,  would  be  able  to  do  what  it  had  been 
unprepared  itself  to  do." — Robert  E.  Speer,  The  Gospel 
and  the  New  World,  pp.  175-177. 

Christian  Education  Revolutionizing  Civilization 
in  Heathen  Lands 

"Everywhere  Christianity  has  brought  education 
to  the  masses.  A  leading  Hindu  Nationalist  in  India 
says:  'After  all,  when  it  comes  to  practice,  Christianity 
alone  is  effecting  what  we  Nationalists  are  crying  for — 
namely,  the  elevation  of  the  masses.'  A  minister  of 
education  from  Europe  marveled  at  the  intelHgence 
and  manliness  of  a  boy  in  our  public  schools,  who  be- 
longed to  a  race  which  his  nation  had  held  in  subjection 
for  hundreds  of  years. 

"In  the  social  records  of  mankind  the  greatest  at- 
tempt of  privileged  people  to  carry  to  deficient  races 
the  means  and  methods  of  training  for  life  efficiency  is 
the  educational  work  of  Christian  missions.  They  have 
carried  to  illiterate  tribes  and  nations  a  complete  edu- 
cational system  from  public  school  to  university.  They 
have  given  the  emancipation  of  modern  sciences  to 
races  held  in  the  bond  of  an  artificial  pedantic  system. 
They  have  released  woman  from  her  ancient  bondage 
and  ignorance.  They  have  provided  undeveloped 
groups  with  the  best  training  for  the  needs  and  pur- 
suits of  life  that  the  world  knows.   They  have  taught 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


75 


tdomestic  science  and  medicine,  industry  and  agricul- 
-  ture.    From  India,  a  Princeton  graduate  reports  that 

■  his  Indian  neighbors  grow  six  or  eight  bushels  of  wheat 

■  ,per  acre,  while  with  the  proper  methods  of  cultivation 
and  seed  introduced  by  the  missionaries,  twenty-five 
to  thirty  bushels  are  raised  under  the  same  conditions. 

I    "The  results  are  social  transformations  on  such  a 

scale  as  the  world  has  never  seen  in  so  short  a  period. 

The  sons  of  coolies  who  did  the  work  of  the  animials, 
J  and  those  of  pariahs,  who  lived  in  cowering  subjection, 
'  have  become  scholars  and  educators.  The  daughters 
.  of  women  who  were  drudges  or  playthings  have  be- 
■•  come  competent  physicians.  Age-long  social  fetters 
:  have  been  broken;  time-worn  prisons  for  the  mind  have 
.  been  opened;  and  great  masses  of  the  earth's  popula- 
.  tion  are  coming  with  vision  and  power  to  take  their 

part  in  the  future  development  of  mankind. 

''Unbiased  recognition  of  this  result  is  the  fact  that 

>  ithe  English  government  has  subsidized  mission  schools 

>  lin  India,  and  education  in  China  and  Japan  has  now 
;  .been  extended  under  government  direction  far  beyond 

■  the  mission  schools.    These  schools  have  furnished  na- 

■  iive  governments  with  many  of  their  most  enlightened 
)  \and  effective  leaders  in  commerce,  education,  and  states- 

\manship.  More  than  tiventy  of  the  well-known  journals 
:  ^of  Japan  are  edited  hy  men  who  graduated  from  Christian 
\  \schools.    The  contribution  of  Christian  education  to  the 

■  growing  democracy  of  the  Near  East  and  the  Far  East 
:  is  immeasurable.    What  forces  made  the  New  China? 


76 


TALKING  POINTS 


Who  are  the  leaders  in  movements  for  democracy  in  other 
of  the  non-Christian  nations? 

"Here  is  proof  of  the  help  Christianity  is  giving  the 
world  in  its  search  for  democracy.  When  this  worlci 
movement  of  Christian  education  is  carried  to  its  inevitable 
conclusion,  when  the  fullest  equipment  for  life  that  thi 
science  of  education  provides  is  given  to  all  the  handicapped 
groups  of  this  country  and  Europe  and  to  all  the  unde-i  [ 
veloped  peoples  of  the  earth,  what. kind  of  a  world  will  ther 
he?  The  educational  achievement  of  Christian  mission 
is  a  world  fact  and  force,  only  because  some  pionee: 
spirits  of  the  last  generation  went  from  the  colleges  t 
endure  loneliness  and  encounter  danger/' — Ward-Ed 
wards,  ^'Christianizing  Community  Life,''  pp.  58-59. 


IX 


NATIONAL  LEADERSHIP 

The  Christian  Education  Movement  is  necessary 
■n  order  that  our  Church  schools  may  train  a  Christian 
Leadership  for  all  lines  of  human  activity — law,  medi- 
line,  government,  industry,  business,  as  well  as  for 
:he  ministry,  missions  and  other  distinctive  lines 
3f  Christian  work. 

Only  one-fourth  of  the  general  population  of  the 
United  States  are  members  of  the  Protestant  Church, 
but  two-thirds  of  the  students  in  all  colleges  and 
universities  are  Protestant  Church  members.  Thus 
:he  Protestant  Churches  are  furnishing  the  leadership 
:o  America  through  the  colleges  and  universities.  Here 
s  a  great  challenge  to  American  Protestantism. 

Educated  men  are  the  world's  leaders.  Seventy- 
:hree  per  cent,  nearly  three-fourths,  of  all  the  people 
tvho  become  distinguished  enough  to  have  their  names 
"ecorded  in  "Who's  Who"  are  college  trained.  Only 
one  per  cent  of  the  American  population  go  to  col- 
lege, yet  from  this  one  per  cent  comes  73  per  cent  of 
'  the  leaders.  The  great  mass,  or  99  per  cent,  of  un- 
trained people,  furnish  only  27  per  cent  of  leading  men 
and  women. 

"Take  the  Cambridge  calendar,  or  take  the  Oxford 
calendar  for  two  hundred  years;  look  at  the  Church, 


\ 

78  TALKING  POINTS  Oli  ^ 

the  Parliament,  or  thebar,  and  it  has  always  been  the  ^ 
case  that  the  men  who  were  first  in  the  competition  oi  ^ 
the  schools  have  been  first  in  the  competition  of  life/ !  f 

— Macaulay.  j  " 

ii 

"To  take  out  of  American  life  the  elements  put  intc|  a 
it  by  higher  education  under  religious  auspices  would  e 
change  the  whole  fiber  of  our  social  order.  The  mora!  t 
foundations  which  underhe  all  business  would  be!  1 
weakened.  It  would  let  down  the  bars  to  materiahsm,  { 
if  indeed  the  doors  were  not  thrown  open  to  Bol-j  1 
shevism."  j 

Leadership  Comes  from  the  College  ' 

Only  one  per  cent  of  the  population  of  the  United  ^ 
States  are  college  graduates; 

Yet  that  one  per  cent  furnish  59  per  cent  of  the  lead-| 
ers  in  all  departments  of  national  life,  ' 

While  14  per  cent  of  the  others  are  college  trained, 
but  not  graduates.  " 

The  99  per  cent  of  untrained  people  supply  only  27  P 
per  cent  of  the  leadership. — Statistics  from  ''Who's  d 
Who  in  America."  ii 

''If  the  education  given  at  the  Church  colleges  is  ^ 
inferior  in  any  way,  the  State  suffers.    It  suffers  in  p 
many  obvious  ways,  but  in  one  way  very  immediately, 
A  large  number  of  college  graduates,  larger  than  the 
number  of  university  graduates,  go  into  teaching  in 
the  State  high  schools,  and  from  the  high  schools  come  ^ 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


79 


the  teachers  in  the  grades.   Any  defect  in  their  edu- 
cation reproduces  itself  in  all  the  State  schools  and 
poisons  the  whole  State  system.  To  insure  good  teach- 
I  ing,  then,  in  the  high  school  you  must  have  good  teach- 
i  ing  in  the  small  college,  that  nursery  of  male  teachers, 
ia  species  that  needs  careful  propagation.    May  we 
Inot  paraphrase  the  German  school  proverb  and  say 
to  the  friends  of  State  education,  ''Whatever  you  would 
have  appear  in  the  high  school — those  'colleges  of  the 
I  people' — you  must  get  into  the  small  colleges"? — 
R.  E.  Blackwell. 

The  Question  of  Leadership 

Fundamental  to  the  welfare  of  the  nation  in  any 
department  of  its  social  activity  is  the  quality  of  its 
leadership.  The  supreme  duty  of  the  Christian  college 
is  to  produce  Christian  leaders  for  all  sections  of  the 
world's  varied  Hfe. 

"Out  of  the  1,000  pupils  who  enter  the  first  grade 
of  our  American  schools  only  fourteen  remain  to  com- 
plete the  college  course.   From  this  small  group  come 
most  of  the  leaders  of  the  Churches  as  well  as  the  leaders 
'in  other  phases  of  national  Hfe.'' 
j    "It  is  upon  the  training  of  the  thirty-eight  who  enter 
1  college,  of  whom  fourteen  finally  graduate,  that  the 
'"  Protestant  Churches  now  focus  their  money,  their 
^'  skill,  their  prayer." 

Well-attested  statistics  show  that  90  per  cent  of 
all  Church  and  religious  leaders  come  from  the  Church 


80 


TALKING  POINTS 


schools.  "The  Disciples  report  that  but  10  per  cent 
of  their  college  students  attend  their  own  denomination- 
al colleges  and  yet  from  that  number  come  80  per  cent 
of  the  leaders  of  the  denomination/' 

A  survey  made  among  the  graduates  of  forty-three 
Christian  colleges  shows  that  21.1  per  cent  are  edu- 
cators, 21.3  per  cent  are  rehgious  leaders,  10.5  per  centj 
are  lawyers,  8.5  per  cent  are  business  men,  6.5  per  cent| 
are  physicians,  while  the  others  are  in  various  occu- 
pations. 

"The  outstanding  fact  is  that  college  groups  are 
leaders  in  the  communities  in  which  they  live  and  work. 
About  58.4  per  cent  of  those  whose  occupations  are 
definitely  known  belong  to  groups  which,  in  every 
community,  are  the  natural  leaders.  In  any  community  I 
no  other  four  men  will  ordinarily  exert  the  aggregate 
of  influence  exerted  by  the  minister,  the  teacher,  the 
lawyer,  and  the  physician."  i  , 

ioi 

i 
i 
i 


THE  FINANCIAL  OBJECTIVE 


•'The  fourth  objective  of  the  Christian  Education 
Movement  is  to  raise  for  our  schools,  colleges,  and 
4iversities  at  least  $33,000,000,  the  minimum  sum 
^"licessary  to  enable  them  to  send  out  the  constantly 
{creasing  stream  of  educated  Christian  leaders  required 
'  carry  forward  the  Christian  work  of  the  world,  and 
'  secure  $1,000,000  to  aid  worthy  students  who  are 
oking  to  some  form  of  Christian  service  in  their  ef- 
rts  to  obtain  an  education. 


The  Physical  and  Financial  Condition  of  Owe 
Schools  Demands  Immediate  Relief 

''The  financial  condition  of  our  educational  institu- 
ons  calls  for  immediate  and  substantial  relief.  Post- 
Dnement  would  imperil  the  Hfe  of  many  schools  and 
Dlleges  and  would  seriously  cripple  the  usefulness  of 
11.  Our  people  should  remember  that  the  schools  and 
Dlleges,  in  obedience  to  the  action  of  the  last  General 
lonference,  have  conducted  no  campaigns  since  the 
Dring  of  1918,  in  order  that  the  Centenary  might  have 
ndisputed  possession  of  the  field.  This  too  at  a  time 
^hen  it  was  the  easiest  time  in  their  history  to  raise 
loney. 

"Moreover,  the  situation  with  the  schools  has  been 
6 


82  TALKING  POINTS  01 

rendered  almost  desperate  by  the  fact  that  during  thes' 
two  years  the  cost  of  living  has  risen  by  leaps  and  bounds 
cutting  in  tv/o  the  purchasing  power  of  money,  whil 
the  income  of  the  schools  has  remained  almost  station 
ary.  This  made  it  impossible  to  increase  the  salarie 
of  teachers,  already  notoriously  underpaid  even  oi 
a  pre-war  value  of  money.  While  wages  and  salarie 
in  other  fields,  including  the  ministry,  have  been  sub 
stantially  increased,  the  teacher  in  our  school  remainet 
at  his  post  on  the  same  or  only  a  slightly  increase( 
salary. 

''The  situation  has  been  made  m_ore  acute  b 
the  fact  that  since  1918  there  has  been  an  unprecedente( 
increase  in  attendance.  Young  people  are  crowding 
into  our  schools  as  never  before.  For  want  of  roon 
many  of  the  colleges  have  turned  away  thousands  o; 
students.  Indeed,  our  schools  are  in  the  midst  of  th( 
greatest  crisis  in  the  history  of  Christian  education 
and  the  issue  is  hfe  or  death." — J.  H.  Reynolds. 

liivestments  in  Education  by  Leading  Denomina- 
tions 

The  Congregational  Church  has  $80,000,000  in 
vested  in  education,  the  Northern  Baptists  have  like- 
wise $80,000,000,  the  Methodist  Episcopal,  $65,000,000, 
Northern  Presbyterian,  $62,000,000,  and  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  South,  $25,000,000.  It  will 
thus  be  seen  that  the  Southern  Methodist  Church 
has  made  a  much  smaller  investment  in  education 


CI 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


83 


than  any  of  these  other  leading  denominations.  Yet 
we  have  more  educational  institutions  than  any  of 
these  sister  Churches,  and  m_ore  mem^bers  than  any 
of  them  except  the  Methodist  Episcopal. 

The  Christian  Workers'  Educational  Aid  Fund 

More  than  75  per  cent  of  the  students  in  preparation 
for  the  ministry,  missionary  service,  or  other  distinctly 
Christian  activity  must  receive  aid  in  some  form  and 
from  some  source  in  order  to  secure  their  education. 

Of  the  75  students  in  the  Scarritt  Bible  and  Training 
School,  45  are  given  free  scholarships,  6  have  work 
[Scholarships,  while  only  24  receive  no  assistance  fromi 
the  Church;  of  this  24,  however,  some  are  being  sup- 
ported by  private  individuals  other  than  their  relatives. 

The  colleges  and  junior  colleges  of  the  Church  give 
away  more  than  $85,000  annually  in  tuition  and  scholar- 
ships to  preachers,  the  sons  and  daughters  of  preachers 
and  teachers,  and  other  worthy  persons. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  obtains 
•66.7  per  cent  of  all  ministers  from  the  homes  of  farmers 
land  11.8  per  cent  from  the  hom_es  of  other  ministers. 
"Thus  more  than  three-fourths  comie  from  the  classes 
-  which  are  usually  least  able  to  provide  the  means  for 
adequate  educational  advantages. 

Further,  these  Christian  workers  enter  vocations 
which  promise  no  financial  return  above  a  simple  liveli- 
hood. The  average  minister  in  the  Methodist  Epis- 
^  copal  Church,  South,  receives  a  salary  of  $974  per  year. 


I 


84 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


Only  one  preacher  in  100  receives  as  much  as  $3,000  per 
year.  The  minister's  income  increases  more  slowly 
than  that  of  any  other  man;  while  costs  have  risen  82 
per  cent,  and  wages  have  gone  up  95  per  cent,  the 
salary  of  the  preacher  has  increased  but  34  per  cent. 

Thus  neither  the  financial  status  nor  the  future 
prospect  of  the  Christian  worker  is  such  as  to  afford 
the  opportunity  for  an  adequate  training  without  assis- 
tance. 

In  the  face  of  the  worst  need  ever  confronted  by  the 
Church,  there  is  a  decrease  in  the  number  of  workers. 
Every  department,  board,  district,  and  mission  field 
clamors  for  trained  leaders — and  this  is  true  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  not  only,  but  of 
all  denomination. 

In  order  to  encourage  young  people  who  incline  to 
Christian  service  and  assist  them  in  obtaining  the 
highest  type  of  training,  there  is  an  imperative  demand 
for  the  establishment  of  a  large  Christian  Workers' 
Educational  Aid  Fund. 

It  will  be  a  general  fund,  administered  by  the  General 
Board  of  Education.  It  will  be  available  to  any  worthy 
student,  man  or  woman,  in  any  institution  of  the  Church. 
The  sacred  trust  fund  will  be  preserved  for  all  time  and 
used  only  for  the  purpose  of  giving  to  the  Church  a  large 
number  of  more  highly  trained  workers. 

The  WilKams  Loan  Fund,  bequeathed  to  the  Board 
of  Education  by  Mr.  F.  E.  WilHams,  of  Martel,  Ten- 
nessee, in  twelve  years  has  educated  sixty-four  young 
men  by  making  loans  in  the  total  sum  of  $7,740;  at 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


85 


the  same  time  the  original  gift  has  not  only  remained 
intact  but  has  grown  from  $5,600  to  $6,870. 

This  well  illustrates  the  service  which  can  be  per- 
petually rendered  by  the  great  fund  contemplated  in 
the  objectives  of  the  campaign  now  before  the  Church. 

Methodist  Universities  and  the  South 

'*At  this  moment  there  are  more  than  sixty  thousand 
foreign  students  in  American  institutions  of  learning, 
but  comparatively  few  of  them  are  in  the  colleges  and 
universities  of  the  South.  A  very  large  majority  of 
them  are  in  the  wealthy  and  worldly  institutions  of 
the  North  and  Northwest,  in  which  liberaHsm  prevails 
and  evangehcal  Christianity  is  depreciated,  if  not  de- 
spised. It  is  greatly  to  be  feared,  therefore,  that  most 
of  the  foreign  students  now  studying  in  the  United 
States  will  return  to  their  own  lands  as  powerful  op- 
ponents of  the  faith  of  our  fathers.'' 

'If  there  be  those  who  desire  to  break  down  the 
evangehcal  Christianity  of  the  South  and  change  the 
character  of  our  civihzation,  they  can  hardly  fall  upon 
a  better  plan  for  working  such  a  revolution  than  to 
induce  our  people  to  estabhsh  educational  institutions 
of  lower  grade  than  a  university  and  send  our  teachers 
to  their  universities  to  obtain  the  professional  training 
required  now  for  work  in  colleges  and  high  schools. 
By  such  a  process  we  furnish  the  money  for  others  to 
change  the  type  of  our  social  and  religious  life.  When 
Roman  youths  went  to  Greece  for  education,  Roman 
reHgion  and  civilization  were  Hellenized.    By  a  similar 


86 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


process  the  South  is  now  suffering  a  slow  but  steady- 
transformation  which  will  become  more  swift  as  it 
proceeds. 

''We  should  have  really  great  universities  in  which 
the  most  thorough  postgraduate  and  professional  work 
can  be  done,  and  without  such  universities  we  cannot 
meet  the  obligations  now  upon  us,  nor  seize  the  oppor- 
tunities before  us  in  the  new  era  which  has  dawned 
upon  the  world/' 

"Not  to  make  these  two  universities  what  they  ought 
to  be  will  cost  us  much  more  than  the  amount  which 
the  General  Conference  has  said  they  should  have. 
Already  the  South  has  expended  many  thousands  of 
dollars  for  the  education  of  its  sons  and  daughters  by- 
universities  outside  our  section.  And  it  is  spend- 
ing more  every  day  and  must  continue  to  expend 
more  until  we  have  made  our  own  universities 
great  and  strong.  This  great  financial  expenditure, 
moreover,  is  the  least  part  of  the  loss  sustained  by  us 
on  account  of  our  educational  destitution  and  depen- 
dence. 

"Not  to  give  our  two  universities  what  they  now  need 
means  the  loss  of  things  m^ore  precious  than  money. 
It  means  the  loss  of  that  which,  when  once  lost,  money 
cannot  restore.  It  means  damage  to  our  colleges  and 
high  schools,  hurt  to  our  Churches  at  home,  and  harm  to 
our  work  in  foreign  fields.  It  means  the  enfeeblement 
of  the  evangelical  Christianity  which  we  should  preserve 
inviolate  as  a  sacred  inheritance  from  our  fathers  to 
be  transmitted  to  our  children  and  children's  children 


^  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  87 

y  md  to  be  carried  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  for  the  honor 
it  )f  our  Lord  and  the  blessing  of  mankind." — Bishop 
W.  A.  Candler, 

The  Accomplishments  of  the  Colleges  vs.  Their 

'  Poverty 

i 

"No  enterprise  on  earth  has  accompHshed  as  much 
j  IS  the  Christian  colleges  have  with  their  limited  physical 

'esources.  The  wonder  is  that  what  they  have  done 
I  md  the  influence  that  they  have  had  are  out  of  all 
ij  proportion  to  the  small  means  that  they  have  had  at 

:heir  command.  In  contrast  with  other  kinds  of  in- 
f  stitutions,  their  buildings,  their  laboratories,  their 
.  ibraries,  their  endowments,  their  general  educational 
_  [acihties,  have  seemed  all  too  meager  and  poverty- 
[  stricken. 

,  "But  they  have  somehov/  possessed  a  sort  of  wealth 
of  the  spirit,  and  those  who  have  cared  for  them 
have  done  so  under  the  urge  of  the  religious  motive 
jand  a  high  sense  of  sacrifice,  with  the  result  that  they 
|have  been  instruments  of  power  for  discovering  and 
Itraining  Christian  leadership.  Still,  after  saying  this 
I  and  making  the  largest  possible  estimate  of  what 
jthey  have  done,  the  fact  stands  that  they  have  been 
immeasurably  handicapped  for  lack  of  material  sup- 
port and  that  they  will  continue  to  be  so  handicapped 
unless  the  Church  to  which  they  belong  is  intelligent 
enough  to  be  brought  to  understand  the  relation  be- 
tween efficiency  and  extent  of  service  in  education  and 
equipment  and  endowment." — H,  N.  Snyder. 


88 


TALKING  POINTS  0. 


Endowment 

* 'Higher  education  is  not  self-supporting.  A  colle^ 
or  university  to  do  efficient  work  must  expend  an  ave 
age  of  $300  to  $600  annually  on  each  student.  1 
throw  this  whole  burden  on  the  student  would  make  ] 
impossible  for  most  of  the  young  people  who  seek 
college  education  to  go  to  college  at  all.  Large  endo\ 
ments  are  therefore  necessary.  The  endowment  shou^ 
be  sufficient  to  take  care  of  about  66  per  cent  of  th 
expense.  No  institution  is  safe  without  endowment. 

''Endowments  with  income  covering  from  forty  \ 
sixty  per  cent  of  the  annual  expenditure  are  essenti 
to  the  efficiency  and  even  to  the  permanent  existen< 
of  institutions  of  higher  learning.  Endow  or  die  hi 
been  the  universal  imperative  in  higher  education." 

"To  require  any  generation  of  the  future  to  pay  t 
annual  contributions  the  current  expenses  of  its  i] 
stitutions  of  higher  learning  is  not  warranted  by  an 
precedents  of  benevolence.  The  general  adoption  ii 
such  a  rule  must,  I  think,  expose  higher  education  1 
inevitable  decay.  Few  but  the  very  rich,  and  at  tl: 
same  time  very  intelligent  and  very  generous,  are  pr< 
pared  to  give  for  education  at  all  until  they  come  1 
face  the  confiscation  of  the  grave.  Money  given  in  gre^ 
sums  for  endowment  tends  to  perpetuate  the  usefu 
ness  of  the  donor  through  all  time.  His  gift  confe: 
upon  him  an  immortality  of  usefulness.  Through 
he  becomes  a  permanent  prop  of  civilization,  an  eve: 
living  force  in  human  progress.   Endowments  thus  o: 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


89 


fer  mighty  motives  to  the  giver.  Here,  if  nowhere  else, 
he  sees  himself  achieving  immortality.  Endowments 
appeal  with  resistless  force  to  that  love  of  hfe,  eternal 
life,  which  is  the  prime  instinct  of  our  being.'' — R.  E, 
Blackwell. 

(Read  "The  Contribution  of  the  Christian  College 
to  the  Life  of  the  Nation,''  by  R.  E.  Blackwell,  pub- 
lished by  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  M  E.  Church, 
South.) 

The  Comparative  Elxpenditure 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  more  than  half  of  the 
students  in  higher  institutions  are  in  Church  schools. 
Also  that  a  great  majority  of  such  schools  are  under 
Church  auspices. 

Yet  the  expense  of  operating  State  and  municipal 
colleges  is  vastly  greater  than  that  of  Church  colleges. 
The  pubhc  treasuries  pay  $150,000,000  annually  for 
maintaining  the  350  pubhc  colleges,  universities,  and 
normal  schools.  The  Church,  on  the  other  hand,  main- 
tains 514  colleges  and  universities,  620  academies, 
and  200  theological  schools  for  $25,000,000. 

In  one  representative  State  university  there  are 
5,716  students,  and  this  institution  has  an  income  of 
$3,075,409.  In  fifty  representative  denominational 
colleges  there  are  13,357  students,  yet  the  combined 
incomes  total  $2,927,814. 

These  figures  strikingly  show  the  necessity  of  larger 


90 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


endowments  and  support  for  the  denominational 

college. 

Nearly  all  of  the  great  universities  and  colleges  are 
now  in  campaigns  for  greater  endowments.  North- 
western is  seeking  to  raise  $25,000,000;  Harvard  is  in 
a  campaign  for  $15,000,000;  Yale  desires  to  secure 
$11,000,000;  Chicago  and  Cornell  each  need  $10,000,- 
000;  Vassar  has  called  for  $6  000,000;  Wesleyan  has 
an  objective  of  $3,000,000. 

Who  Pays  the  Bills? 

"There  are  three  possible  sources  of  college  income 
— namely,  student  fees,  income  from  endowment  funds, 
and  annual  donations.  The  latter  source  is  an  uncertain 
one.  While  dependence  upon  it  serves  in  part  to  keep 
an  institution  in  living  relations  with  its  constituency, 
it  does  not,  because  of  its  uncertain  character,  provide 
a  sound  or  permanent  foundation  on  which  to  build. 

"Students  should  pay  a  just  proportion  of  the  cost 
of  their  education.  That  proportion  will  vary  somewhat 
with  different  institutions.  The  best  information  avail- 
able shows  that  the  average  student  in  our  American 
colleges  pays  a  little  more  than  one-third  of  the  cost 
of  his  education.  The  remainder  is  borne  about  equally 
by  the  income  of  endowment  funds  and  annual  dona- 
tions, 

"In  other  words,  the  American  Christian  college  is 
like  a  house  built  upon  a  foundation  one-third  of  which 
is  shifting  sand.  This  fact  presents  one  of  the  most 
serious  problems  in  the  college  field,  the  problem  of 


HRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


91 


ssured  financial  support.  The  answer  is  in  three 
'ords — Largely  Increased  Endowments.  These,  and 
lese  only,  will  meet  the  need.'' 


The  Teacher  and  His  Salary 

All  persons  are  famihar  with  the  high  cost  of  hving 
,.|id  the  necessity  of  increased  salaries.    The  teachers 
J)-day  suffer  more  than  any  other  men — so  much  so 
iiat  it  is  now  practically  impossible  to  obtain  them, 
[[any  of  our  schools  are  utterly  unable  to  fill  the  places 
faculty  members  who  die  or  are  forced  into  other 
nployments. 

In  four  years  the  cost  of  living  has  increased  82  per 
mt.  The  wage  increase  in  eight  of  the  leading  in- 
Listries  has  been  95  per  cent.  The  salary  of  the  college 
rofessor  has  increased  31  per  cent 
"The  great  reason  given  in  justification  for  their 
impaigns  by  all  the  colleges  now  seeking  larger  endow- 
ments is  the  necessity  of  increasing  teachers'  salaries, 
I  colonial  days  teachers  accepted  commodities  in 
a-rt  payment  of  their  meager  salaries.  In  days  not  so 
istant,  members  of  the  faculty  of  an  institution  which 
ow  stands  among  the  greatest  in  the  land  gratefully 
!cepted  loads  of  hay  and  other  farm  produce  as  satis- 
Lctory  payments  on  salaries.  It  is  even  recorded  that 
le  college  having  come  into  possession  of  a  quantity 
'  pills  which  were  judiciously  distributed  in  payments 
1  salary  balances  long  overdue,  one  member  of  the 
Lculty  entered  formal  complaint  of  inequality  in  such 
ayments." 


92  TALKING  POINTS  ( 

It  is  said  that  143,000  teachers  abandoned  the  W' 
of  teaching  last  year.  If  nothing  is  done  to  corr 
this  situation  we  will  soon  be  unable  to  obtain  teacli 
except  those  of  a  very  inferior  grade. 

"We  must  cease  to  talk  vaguely  of  our  colleges  2 
universities  becoming  great  'in  time/  They  must 
made  great  very  soon.  There  is  nothing  in  the  m 
flowing  of  the  tide  of  time  to  enrich  an  instituti 
Colleges  and  universities  may  be  endowed  'in  tin 
but  somebody  has  to  do  the  endowing.  Time,  alo 
endows  nothing.  A  running  stream  may  go  on  fore 
without  turning  a  wheel,  or  grinding  an  ounce  of  gr 
and  so  may  time  flow  on  without  improving  our  e< 
cational  conditions,  unless  human  hands  and  hea 
devise  and  execute  plans  for  our  schools." — Bisi 
W.  A.  Candler. 

"Endow  or  die  has  been  the  universal  imperative 
higher  education.'' — Report  of  the  General  Board 
Education. 

The  Education  of  Women 

"College  education  for  women  is  yet  less  thar 
century  old.  Southern  people  were  among  the  pione^ 
in  this  field,  and  before  the  Civil  War  they  had  mi 
a  noble  beginning.  After  the  war,  like  every th 
else  in  this  section,  educational  interests  were  pa 
lyzed.  From  this  paralysis  there  has  been  a  par 
recovery;  though,  in  comparison  with  what  has  b< 
needed  to  be  done,  we  have  made  but  a  mere  beginni 


mmSTIAN  EDUCATION  93 

i 

^fjdividuals  or  corporations  have  controlled  woman's 
niucation  for  profit  or  gain,  and  schools,  even  under 
li^urch  control,  have  been  farmed  out  to  the  best 
{iders.   Education  for  women  has  been  made  ornate 
ther  than  serious,  superficial  rather  than  fundamental. 
jLch  types  may  have  been  the  best  those  Reconstruc- 
'Sn  days  could  bring,  but  such  conceptions  must  now 
\e  way  to  ideals  worthy  the  name  and  the  end  in 

M 

lo:  "The  natural  consequence  of  lack  of  endowment  has 
reien  to  make  woman's  education  more  expensive. 
iie  tendency  has  been  to  eliminate  from  Christian 
e(|lleges  in  part  the  young  woman  of  moderate  means 
eaj.d  to  ehminate  almost  entirely  the  ones  who  were 

lor.  Such  conditions  have  forced  these  young  women 
seek  educational  advantages  in  schools  where  moral 

lining  and  religious  life  are  not  matters  of  first 
fioment. 

I  "By  reason  of  past  lack  of  generosity  and  lack  of  a 
Instructive  financial  pohcy  from  any  source,  the  presi- 
bnt  of  a  Methodist  woman's  college  has,  for  the  most 
'i^irt,  been  made  to  lead  a  nerve-racking  life,  while 
*  riving  to  serve  his  generation.  With  great  unfairness 
himself  and  greater  still  to  his  students,  instead  of 
^Ang  a  source  of  inspiration,  he  has  become  a  drudge, 
^a(»ending  more  time  in  calculating  the  number  of  shces 
i^j  a  flitch  of  bacon  or  thinking  how  to  get  a  delinquent 
l^toon  to  meet  his  account,  or  wondering  from  what 
li^turce  the  salary  for  the  faculty  for  the  next  month 


94  TALKING  POINTS  OM  ' 

would  come,  or  how  to  meet  the  interest  on  the  colleg  1 
debt,  than  he  has  spent  on  the  problem  of  hearts  ami ' 
minds  and  souls  and  destinies.  Are  such  men  to  con] ' 
tinue  bound  in  shackles  and  bonds?  Is  such  inadequat  ' 
equipment  and  preparation  to  continue  as  the  portioi 
of  women?  Changed  conditions  of  to-day  make  aij  ^ 
imperative  demand  that  the  education  of  women  sha]  ^ 
be  such  as  to  meet  their  needs  and  responsibilitie  ^ 

in  Hie,''— J,  M,  Williams.  ^ 

I  u 

(Read  "The  Education  of  Women  for  the  New  Age,'  a 
by  J.  M.  Wilhams,  published  by  the  Board  of  Educa;  1) 
tion  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South.)  I  f 

Immortality  of  College  Investments  ci 

College  endowments  confer  immortahty  upon  bot' 
the  benefactor  and  upon  the  money  invested.  Th"^ 
endowed  college  or  university  is  about  the  only  thin|^ 
on  earth  that  gives  immortality  to  money  investec'?' 
whether  it  is  the  widow's  mite  or  the  rich  man's  mi". 
lions.  Thousands  of  living  exam.ples  enforce  this  trutl:  ^j" 
The  universities  of  Paris,  Bologna,  Heidelburg,  Os  ' 
ford,  and  Cambridge,  with  endowments  unimpaired  bj 
revolutions  and  changes  in  dynasties,  are  pulsating  wit  ''^ 
more  life  and  power  to-day  than  ever  before.  Cardimpf 
Wolsey's  money  spent  upon  his  court  quickly  disap^^ 
peared  but  that  used  for  endowing  Christ  Church  Coli 
lege  has  for  four  hundred  years  declared  annual  divi 
dends  in  the  form  of  highly  educated  leaders  of  the  Brit 
ish  empire — eminent  jurists,  viceroys,  prime  ministers 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


95 


poets,  cabinet  officers,  philosophers  and  ministers, 
including  John  and  Charles  Wesley — the  bearers  of 
world  civiHzation  in  government,  lav/,  science,  in- 
dustry, and  religion. 

The  same  principle  of  the  permanent  productive- 
Iness  of  college  endowments  operates  in  America  in 
our  own  Harvard,  Yale,  Columbia,  Chicago,  Princeton, 
and  Trinity.  The  railroad  investments  of  the  Van- 
ierbilts  and  the  tobacco  holdings  of  the  Dukes  will 
mdergo  immeasurable  changes  of  form,  use,  ownership, 
md  control,  but  the  Vanderbilt  gifts  to  Vanderbilt 
University  and  the  Duke  investments  in  Trinity 
vill  bear  interest  in  a  highly  trained  leadership  to 
conserve  for  the  nation  the  permanent  values  of  our 
civilization  as  long  as  man  hves  on  American  soil. 

Moreover,  the  college  or  the  university  is  about  the 
)nly  institution  among  men  whose  endowment  gives 
larthly  immortality  to  the  name  of  the  donor.  Where 
jjifts  are  large  this  is  the  inevitable  result.  The  follow- 
ing are  a  few  among  American  institutions  that  in 
heir  names  confer  immortality  upon  their  founders: 
/^anderbilt  University,  Rice  Institute,  Tulane  Univer- 
ity,  Millsaps,  Colgate  University,  Reed  College, 
-  jeland  Stanford,  Vassar,  Johns  Hopkins,  Sophie  New- 
,  omb  College,  Clark  University,  Smith  College,  Drake 
,  Jniversity. 

^  Our  Ability  to  Pay  $33,000,000 

'{I 

jj  "The  country  was  never  so  prosperous.  The  best 
p  »usiness  minds  of  the  nation  say  that  the  United  States 


96 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


has  several  years  of  unparalleled  prosperity  ahead  of 
it,  and  the  South  is  in  an  especially  strong  economic 
position.  America's  annual  income  is  now  $40,000,- 
000,000.  Of  this  sum  Southern  Methodists  receive 
$1,250,000,000.  The  $33,000,000  which  we  are  asking 
to  be  spread  over  three  or  four  years  is  less  than  three 
per  cent  of  the  income  of  Southern  Methodists  for  one 
year.  The  total  wealth  of  the  United  States  now  is 
$240,000,000,000.  Of  this  sum  Southern  Methodists 
own  $8,000,000,000.  The  financial  objective  of  our 
campaign  is  less  than  one  half  of  one  per  cent  of  the 
total  wealth  of  our  Methodist  people.  Moreover, 
we  have  one  of  the  best  crops  in  our  history.  We  are 
literally  pihng  up  wealth  by  billions. 

"Relatively  the  United  States  also  is  in  the  strongest 
financial  position  among  the  nations.  It  has  more 
wealth  than  any  other  three  nations  in  the  world  and 
our  income  is  even  greater  proportionately  than  our 
wealth.  Our  income  is  two  and  one-half  times  the 
income  of  Great  Britain,  even  if  you  include  all  her 
possessions. 

'The  financial  objective,  therefore,  is  easily 
within  the  financial  resources  of  our  Church. 
The  wealth  of  the  Church  was  scarcely  touched  by  the 
Centenary.  The  average  gift  to  the  Centenary  was 
$40 — that  is,  $8  a  year  for  five  years,  or  about  15 
cents  a  week.  Our  people  of  means  made  only  small 
subscriptions  and  those  of  ordinary  means  could  easily 
have  doubled  their  contributions.  Witness  the  luxuries 
in  which  even  our  wage  earners  and  salaried  people 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


97 


I !  are  indulging  themselves.  No,  our  people  sorely  need 
:  the  campaign  to  save  them  from  greed  and  selfishness — 
•  yea,  to  save  their  stingy  souls.  Our  greatest  peril  is 
^  our  prosperity. 

I     "Where  are  our  tithers?     What  will  become  of 
]  their  solemn  pledges  to  tithe  unless  we  keep  the 
3  sense  of  stewardship  alive  and  keep  before  them  causes 
5  ( worthy  of  their  gifts?   Unless  we  do  this  our  people 
will  backslide  and  their  last  estate  will  be  worse  than 
their  first.  Barring  the  last  two  years,  this  is  the  easiest 
time  in  all  history  to  get  money." — J,  H.  Reynolds. 
7 


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I 


XI 

MISCELLANEOUS  FACTS 

"We  have  come  to  the  place  where  we  must  make 
religion  more  educational  and  education  more  rehgious/' 
— E,  N.  Snyder, 

The  nine  famous  colleges  first  founded  in  New 
England  were  all  launched  under  Church  auspices. 
Of  the  first  119  colleges  founded  east  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  104  were  Christian  institutions.  I 

When  the  call  for  volunteers  came  in  the  World  War 
more  than  50,000  students  of  the  colleges  responded  at! 
once.  One  out  of  every  three  boys  answered  the  call. 
More  than  150,000  students  were  enrolled  for  military 
drill  in  Students  Army  Training  Corps  at  the  col- 
leges. 

Oxford  University  furnished  11,500  of  its  graduates 
to  the  English  armies,  and  of  this  number  2,100  were 
killed  in  the  war. 

When  Vocations  Are  Chosen 

A  study  recently  made  at  the  State  University  of 
Minnesota  reveals  interesting  data  as  to  when  students 
choose  their  fife  work.  This  investigation  would 
doubtless  give  similar  results  in  any  large  institution. 
It  was  seen  that  70  per  cent  of  all  students  choose 


HRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


99 


leir  life  work  before  they  enter  college;  that  is,  nearly 
,1  students  decide  upon  their  vocation  during  the 
S€ondary  or  preparatory  period.  This  fact  consti- 
ntes  a  supreme  argument  in  favor  of  the  Christian 
?;ademy,  and  amply  justifies  the  Church  in  operating 
iie  twenty-six  preparatory  schools  now  under  our  con- 
jol.  If  students  decide  upon  their  vocations  in  the 
i:ademy  period,  it  is  highly  necessary  that  in  this 
f|iriod  they  be  kept  in  institutions  where  Christian  in- 
^'jiences  and  atmosphere  are  dominant. 
^'Southern  Methodism  may  well  be  proud  of  its  girl 
aduates  because  it  has  the  honor  of  having  conferred 
r.e  first  degree  ever  given  to  a  woman  in  the  history 
t  the  world.    Miss  Catherine  Brewer  received  a  di- 

■  oma  and  degree  from  the  Georgia  Female  College 
'  1840.  As  we  look  at  the  status  of  womanhood  at 
•  e  present  day,  it  seems  atoost  impossible  to  believe 

at  the  first  one  graduated  only  eighty  years  ago,  within 
^le  memory  of  some  people  now  living.  Miss  Catherine 
gl'ewer  became  the  mother  of  Admiral  Benson,  of  the 
lited  States  Navy,  who  distinguished  himseK  so 
llantly  in  the  World  War.   The  Georgia  Female  Col- 
ye  is  now  Wesleyan  College,  at  Macon,  Ga.    It  is 
jie  of  the  leading  schools  for  women  in  our  Church 
.d  the  oldest  chartered  wom.an's  college  in  the  world, 

"The  difference  between  a  large  university  and  a 

■  lall  college  is  that  in  a  large  university  the  student 
es  through  more  colleges;  but  in  the  small  college, 


100 


TALKING  POINTS 


more  college  goes  through  the  student. — J.  L.  PeU\ 
Chief  Justice  of  Maine.  ! 

'The  small  Christian  college  is  the  hope  of  Ameri 
Character  is  essential  to  statesmanship  and  these  c 
leges  are  vital  factors  in  the  development  of  sterl: 
character/' — James  J.  Hill.  \ 

^ 'After  God  had  carried  us  safe  to  New  England  a 
we  had  builded  our  houses,  provided  necessaries 
our  livelihood,  reared  convenient  places  for  Go! 
worship,  and  settled  the  Civil  Government;  one  of  i 
next  things  we  longed  for  and  looked  after  was  to  i| 
vance  learning  and  perpetuate  it  to  posterity,  dread 
to  leave  an  illiterate  ministry  to  the  Churches  wl 
our  present  ministers  shall  be  in  the  dust." — Inscri 
on  a  ga.teway  at  Harvard. 

"The  right  instruction  of  youth  is  a  matter  in  wh 
Christ  and  all  the  world  are  concerned." — Luther.  ^ 

"To  educate  the  reason  without  educating  the  e 
sire  is  Hke  placing  the  repeating  rifle  in  the  hands  i 
the  savage." — Herbert  Spencer. 

"Whatever  you  would  put  into  the  State,  you  nij 
first  put  into  the  schools." — Humboldt.  j  J 

"Our  learning  should  be  neither  a  couch  on  wl:| 
to  rest,  nor  a  cloister  in  which  to  promenade  ale 
nor  as  a  tower  from  which  to  look  down  on  others;  ! 
as  a  fortress  where  we  may  resist  them;  nor  as  a  w(!^^' 
shop  for  gain  and  merchandise,  but  as  a  rich  arm 


USTIAN  EDUCATION 


101 


I  i  treasury  for  the  glory  of  the  Creator  and  the  en- 
lolement  of  hfe." — Lord  Bacon. 

'It  is  clear  that  the  benefit  of  a  college  education 
isists  not  in  the  abundance  of  opportunities  that 
been  neglected.    It  consists  in  the  firmness  of 

Dral  and  intellectual  fiber  v/hich  have  been  developed 

]the  college/' — President  Lowell. 

'Every  scholar  is  something  added  to  the  riches  of 
:ommon wealth." — John  Knox. 

' -The  Churches  of  Christ  have  given  one  per  cent  of 
air  sons  and  daughters  to  their  colleges  and  the  col- 
jes  have  given  back  80  to  90  per  cent  of  the  Church's 
nisters  and  missionaries." — President  Bates  of  Hiram 
allege. 

"I  am  in  no  v/ay  untrue  to  State  institutions  when 
say  that  in  our  day  a  boy  might  become  a  bachelor 
'  master  in  almost  any  one  of  the  best  of  them,  and 
!  as  ignorant  of  the  Bible,  the  moral  and  spiritual 
ith  which  it  represents  and  the  fundamental  prin- 
3les  of  religion,  their  nature  and  value  to  so- 
jty,  as  if  he  had  been  educated  in  a  non-Christian 
luntry .  Who  is  to  supply  this  lack  if  not  the  Christian 
•liege?" — President  Thompson,  of  Ohio  State  University. 

"The  object  of  scholarship,  the  object  of  all  knowl- 
Ige  is  to  understand;  is  to  comprehend;  is  to  know 
hat  the  need  of  mankind  is.  This  is  the  reason  why 
^holarship  has  usually  been  more  fruitful  when  as- 


102  TALKING  POINT, 

sociated  with  religion,  and  scholarship  has  never,  s 
far  as  I  can  at  this  moment  recollect,  been  associate 
with  any  religion,  except  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ. 
— Woodrow  WHlson. 

"It  is  a  mistake  to  train  young  people  in  all  lines  c 
knowledge  and  give  them  full  college  equipment  fc 
undertaking  the  big  tasks  of  life  without  making  sui 
also  that  fundamental  principles  of  right  and  wrong  a 
taught  in  the  Bible  have  become  a  part  of  their  equip 
ment.  There  is  a  control  of  forces  and  motives  es 
sential  to  the  management  of  vast  affairs  which  come 
only  through  an  educated  conscience." — J.  J,  Hill. 

(Read  carefully  "The  Educational  Situation 
America,''  on  pages  21-31  of  the  "Educational  Survey." 


XII 


THE  ENLARGED  MISSIONARY  PROGRAM 
DEMANDS  AN  ENLARGED  EDUCA- 
TIONAL PROGRAM 

'^If  our  Church  did  not  reah!ze  the  need  of  larger 
equipment  for  our  Church  schools  prior  to  the  success- 
ful Centenary  program,  certainly  the  facts  developed 
by  that  program  and  the  renewed  emphasis  given  to 
statements  which  our  educational  leaders  had  been 
making  before  the  Centenary  ought  to  awaken  the 
entire  Church  to  the  crucial  need  for  the  Christian 
Education  Movement  now  on  under  the  direction 
of  the  Education  Commission  of  the  Church. 

''It  is  a  statement  of  the  bare  facts  of  the  case  when 
we  say  that  our  Church  schools  with  their  present  equip- 
ment and  endowment  cannot  meet  the  demand  upon 
them  for  Christian  leadership  at  hom.e  and  for  service 
in  the  foreign  fields  of  the  Church.  It  is  the  first  time 
in  our  history,  as  a  Church,  that  we  have  unitedly  at- 
tempted a  program  of  Christian  Education  that  will 
carry  down  to  the  local  Church  and  to  every  home  the 
need  of  the  educational  institutions  of  our  Church  in 
order  that  they  may  meet  their  share  of  the  world's 
need  of  Christian  leadership. 

''Visiting  an  Annual  Conference  at  its  recent 
session  a  few  weeks  ago,  the  statements  that  were 


104 


TALKING  POINTS  ON 


made  in  the  reports  of  the  presiding  elders  and 
others  brought  before  us  immediately  the  crying 
need  for  men,  I  recall  that  a  class  of  five  were  seek- 
ing admission.  There  was  not  a  man  of  them  who 
had  been  to  any  college.  Perhaps  two  of  them  had  an 
education  equivalent  to  high  school,  and  though  the  need 
of  that  conference  v/as  very  great  and  though  every 
legitimate  method  was  sought  by  which  these  men  could 
be  admitted,  at  last  there  were  only  two  that  could 
pass  the  test  for  admission.  At  this  same  Conference 
one  of  the  presiding  elders  in  reporting  said:  'Thir- 
teen of  the  charges  on  my  district  are  filled  hy  sup- 
plies/ That  was  about  one-half  of  his  entire  district. 
So  district  after  district  reported  and  the  same  story  was 
repeated. 

*'If  we  were  to  follow  this  clue  for  data  through  all 
of  our  Annual  Conferences,  we  should  perhaps  find  that 
more  than  fifteen  per  cent  of  our  Churches  are  filled 
by  suppKes  and  in  some  Conferences  a  much  larger 
percentage. 

"Again,  presiding  elders  frequently  report  that  new 
works  ought  to  be  opened  up,  but  that  there  are  no 
men  to  be  sent  to  take  care  of  them;  that  many  of  the 
present  charges  ought  to  be  divided,  but  it  could  not 
be  done  because  men  could  not  be  found  to  take  charge 
of  any  new  work.  We  are  coming  to  realize  also  in  a 
very  definite  way  that  if  we  shall  adequately  take  care 
of  our  rural  work,  the  men  who  are  coming  in  to  our 
Conferences  must  have  a  special  training  which  will  fit 
them  to  be  Christian  leaders  in  rural  sections.  It 


HRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


105 


^^lust  be  kept  in  mind  that  the  Southern  Methodist 
=<hurch  is  still  a  rural  Church;  more  than  fourteen 

l.ousand  of  the  seventeen  thousand  Churches  are  in 
^^le  country.   We  face  this  Church-wide  need  with  the 

definite  knowledge  that  our  Church  schools  are  not  pre- 
^jired  with  adequate  equipment  and  men  to  give  the 

kining  that  ought  to  be  given  to  the  men  who  will 
'^j,ke  leadership  in  this  vast  rural  territory. 

Centenary  Demand  Cannot  Be  Met 

'•1  '*Since  our  Centenary  program  has  been  on  and  the 
•  :'st  year's  demand  for  v/orkers  has  been  before  us  in  the 
oreign  fields,  we  have  been  seeking  to  find  one  hun- 
3('ed  men,  equipped  workers,  to  go  to  the  foreign  fields. 

Te  come  face  to  face  with  the  situation  that  they  can- 

3t  be  had,  or,  if  we  send  the  hundred,  we  simply  are 
■  oing  the  best  we  can  to  supply  the  demand  with  the 

laterial  which  can  be  secured ;  our  Centenary  program 
:  )mpels  us  to  send  out  this  first  year  five  times  as  many 

?w  workers  as  we  have  sent  out  in  the  entire  period  of  the 
^  '>st  ten  years. 

)  1  * 'Looking  to  the  immediate  future,  and  if  we  care 
)  )  take  a  longer  look,  we  are  face  to  face  with  a 
tuation  that  makes  the  Christian  Education  Move- 
lent  and  program  an  absolute  necessity  for  our  Church, 
ometimes  we  have  been  disposed  to  think  that  the 
hurch  school  is  something  at  a  long  distance  from  the 
verage  home  of  our  people,  that  a  wide  gulf  stretches 
1  between.  The  fact  is  that  the  Church  school  equip- 
jing  for  ministry  reaches  back  into  every  home  of  the 


106 


TALKING  POINTS  OA 


Church,  for  the  minister  is  the  man  who  must  go  iij 
and  out  of  our  homes,  and  the  standard  of  culture  that  hi  I 
carries,  the  standard  of  hfe  which  he  manifests,  hi; 
conversation  and  his  walk  relate  us  immediately  t(i 
the  entire  program  which  is  now  being  presented  witl 
renewed  emphasis  to  our  people.    Thinking  over  th  > 
entire  program  of  the  Christian  Church  to-day,  I  can  ' 
not  find  anything  in  our  program  which  is  more  vits  ' 
to  every  home  in  every  local  Church  than  that  we  shoul  1 
equip  the  men  who  are  to  bring  the  message  of  th 
full  Christian  life  to  our  homes.   So  that  in  any  san  i 
view  of  an  adequate  program  of  the  Church  of  Chris}  ^ 
the  Church  school  must  have  a  central  place.  ^ 
''We  have  too  frequently  been  saying  as  individusj  s 
Church  members  representing  homes  that  the  'ChurcJ " 
school  or  the  Christian  Education  Movement  is  no!  ^■ 
a  matter  that  concerns  m.e;'  when  the  fact  is  thaj  '< 
whether  our  children  are  sent  to  Church  schools  or  noli " 
the  men  who  are  to  be  most  closely  associated  with  on  s 
homes  for  Christian  training  and  religious  instructior 
determining  thereby  in  some  part  the  character  of  th 
young  life,  if  equipped  for  this  service,  must  find  tha 
equipment  in  our  Church  schools. 

Laymen  Trained  as  Leaders 

"The  need  of  a  leadership  in  the  local  Church  amon 
the  laymen  is  well-nigh  universal.  We  are  emphasij 
ing  more  and  more  the  stewardship  of  time;  the  ol 
ligation  of  the  layman  to  give  a  definite  part  of  h 
time  to  Christian  service.   A  few  weeks  ago  a  paste 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 


107 


fof  a  Church  with  more  than  four  hundred  people  in 
the  Sunday  school  and  a  membership  that  had  grown 
from  a  handful  to  more  than  three  hundred,  said  to  me: 
'I  have  not  in  my  Church  a  single  layman  who  has 
sufficient  training,  educationally,  to  be  Sunday  school 
superintendent  or  to  help  me  direct  the  work  of  the 
i  Church/  If  we  were  to  question  hundreds  of  the  pas- 
*tors  of  our  Churches  would  not  this  situation  be  more  or 
less  duphcated  in  a  multitude  of  our  local  Churches? 

"So  if  we  approach  the  Christian  Education  Movement 
from  the  angle  of  the  home  field  or  the  foreign  field, 
rom  the  angle  of  the  home  or  the  local  Church,  we  are 
ace  to  face  with  the  fact  of  the  immediate  need  of  a 
successful  carrying  on  of  the  program  undertaken 
under  the  leadership  of  the  Education  Commission. 
A  layman  from  one  of  our  great  centers  recently  said: 
'Our  Church  has  been  so  impressed  with  this  need 
of  trained  workers  for  the  ministry  or  for  Christian 
service  that  we  are  now  bearing  the  expenses  of  ten 
^oung  men  at  our  Conference  school/  So  we  beHeve 
more  and  more  that  this  program  will  become  a  mani- 
fest one  to  our  laymen  and  to  our  local  Churches/' — 
W,  B,  Beauchamp, 


! 


INDEX 


Accomplishments  of  Colleges,  87. 
Adequate  Conception  of  Education,  11. 
Aid  I\md,  83. 
Americanism,  43. 
Anarchy,  IS. 

Andc-rson,  S:one?rall,  17,  21. 
Argentine  Republic,  42. 
Atheism,  25. 
Avarice,  60. 

Babson,  Roger,  41,  42. 
Bacon,  Lord,  101. 
Baptist  Church,  35,  82. 
Beauchamp,  W.  B.,  107. 
Benson,  Admiral,  99. 
Bible,  14,  20,  21,  45,  53,  101. 
Bishops,  65. 

Black^ell,  R.  E.,  79,  89. 
Board  of  Education,  92. 
Bologna  University.-,  94. 

B     =  -  '     ^3.  7S. 

-rrine,  99. 
2.^,:  .  _  ...3^e,  25. 

3--:;r.r.ell,  Horace,  58. 
B-j=in6ss,  41. 

Cambridge  University-,  77,  94. 
Candler,  Bishop  W.  A.,  43,  49,  87,  92. 
Capital,  3S. 
Cardinal  Wolsey,  94. 
Catholic  Education,  22. 
Centenary,  69,  70,  72,  81,  96,  105. 
Charity,  57. 
Chicago,  34. 

Chicago  University,  90,  95. 
Children,  22. 
China,  75. 

Christ  Church  College,  94. 
Christian  Education,  15. 
Christian  Ideals,  12. 


Civilization,  37. 
:  Clark,  Elmer  T.,  57. 
Coke,  80. 

Cokesbury  College,  29. 
Colgate  University,  95. 
Colonial  Era,  43. 
Columbia  University,  95. 
Congregational  Church,  82 
\  Coolies,  75. 

;  Cornell  University,  34,  90. 

Cost  of  Education,  89. 
!  Curriculum,  15. 

Deaconesses,  55. 
Democracy,  76. 
Denny,  Bishop  Collins,  66. 
Drake  University,  95. 

Early  Church,  47. 

Early  Education  in  America,  98. 
j  Education  of  Missionaries,  70,  71 

Eminent  Domain,  59. 
I  Emotion,  46. 

i  Endowments,  88,  90,  91,  92,  94. 
■  England,  34. 

English  Government,  75. 

Ethics,  37,  51. 

Europe,  70,  74,  76. 
'  Evangelism,  73. 

;  Faculty,  17. 

Far  East,  75. 

Fifth  Objective,  63. 

Financial  Objective,  96. 

First  Objective,  11. 
'  Foreign  Missions,  67,  68,  69,  70, 
;      74,  76,  103,  105. 
i  Foreign  Students,  85. 
!  Fourth  Objective,  81. 


110 


INDEX 


General  Conference,  19,  30,  31,  53,  72, 
81,  86. 

Georgia  Female  College,  99. 
German  Education,  13,  14. 
Germany,  25,  43,  48,  51,  52,  79. 
Gladstone,  W.  E.,  57. 
Glover,  Prof.  T.  R.,  47. 
Gospels,  58. 
Government,  59. 
Graded  Lessons,  45. 
Great  Britain,  96. 

Harvard  University,  34,  90,  95. 
Heathen  Lands,  74. 
Heidelburg  University,  94. 
High  Schools,  78. 
Hill,  J.  J.,  100,  102. 
Home  Missions,  55. 
Homes,  41. 
Hindu,  74. 
Hugo,  Victor,  59. 
Humboldt,  100. 

Ignorance,  18. 
Immortality,  25. 
Immortality  of  College  Investments,  94. 
India,  69,  75. 
Industrial  Afiairs,  37. 
Instruction,  14. 
Intercession,  63. 

Interchurch  World  Movement,  67. 
International  Affairs,  37. 
Investments,  41. 
Italy,  42,  44. 

Japan,  75. 

Jenkins,  C.  R.,  46,  68. 
Jewish  Education,  22. 
Jews,  60. 

Johns  Hopkins  University,  95. 

Kingdom,  45,  63,  64. 
Kingswood  School,  29. 
Knox,  John,  101. 

Labor,  38. 
Law,  Gl. 


Laymen,  106,  107. 
Leaders,  33. 

Leadership,  54,  55,  78,  79.  80. 

Leland  Stanford  University,  95. 

"Les  Miserables,"  59. 

Life  Work  Division,  98. 

Loan  Fund,  83. 

Lueba,  Prof.  James  H.,  25. 

Mammon,  58. 
Materialism,  58,  78. 
Methodism,  29. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  34,  56, 

65,  69,  82. 
Mexico,  18,  42. 
Millionaires,  41. 
Millsaps  College.  95. 
Ministers,  65,  66,  67,  68,  100,  101,  105, 

106. 

Ministers'  Salaries,  83. 
Minnesota  University,  98. 
Missionaries,  55,  65,  66,  67,  68,  69,  70, 

75,  101,  103,  105. 
Mohammedan,  73. 
Money,  57. 
Moses,  63. 

Moiizon,  Bishop  E.  D.,  48. 

National  Leadership,  77. 

Navy,  99. 

Near  East,  75. 

New  England,  98,  100. 

Northwestern  University,  34,  65,  90. 

Nurses,  55. 

Orient,  49. 

Other  Churches,  34. 

Ownership,  59,  60. 

Oxford  University,  29,  77,  94,  98. 

Pagan  World,  46. 
Paganism,  48. 
Parables,  60. 
Paris  University,  94. 
Parliament,  78. 
Parenthood,  67. 
Pilgrim  Fathers.  42,  43. 


NDEX 


111 


ostgraduate  Work,  86. 
overty  of  Colleges,  87. 
rayer,  63. 

reachers  Needed,  54,  65. 
-esbyterian  Church,  35,  56,  69,  82. 
•inceton  University,  75,  95. 
roperty,  58. 

irotestant  Church,  77,  79. 

ladicals,  43. 
iawUngs,  E.  H.,  73. 
lead  College,  95. 
eligioua  Atmosphere,  67. 
eligious  Education,  20,  21,  22. 
evivals,  46,  58. 

eynolds,  J.  H.,  18,  19,  34,  44,  52,  82, 
97. 

ice  Institute,  95. 
iches,  64. 

oman  Empire,  47. 
ural  Work,  104. 
iussia,  18,  42,  44. 

ibbath,  57,  58,  61. 

larritt  Bible  &  Training  School,  83. 

iholarships,  83. 

nith  College,  95. 

lyder,  H.  N.,  50,  87,  98. 

)ldiers,  66. 

i.cial  Unrest,  37,  38,  40,  42,  50. 
|.cial  Uplift,  75. 
|iciety,  59. 

jiphie  Newcomb  College,  95. 
I'urce  of  Supply,  65. 
itaniards,  42. 
jiarks  University,  95. 

•eer,  Robert  E.,  58,  74. 

lencer,  Herbert,  100. 

dritual  Ideals,  13. 

•irituality,  63. 

ate  Universities,  65. 

ewardship,  54,  57,  63. 


Students  Army  Training  Corps,  98. 
Sunday  School,  20,  21,  22,  45,  67,  107. 

Tax,  59. 

Teachers'  Salaries,  82,  91. 
Theological  Schools,  35. 
Time  Service,  106. 
Timeliness,  33,  72. 
Tithe,  58. 
Tithers,  97. 
Tithing,  57,  60,  61. 
Trinity  College,  95. 
Tulane  University,  95. 

Unbelief  in  Colleges,  25. 
Uneducated  Ministers,  103. 
United  Campaigns,  31. 
Universities,  85,  86. 

Vanderbilt  University,:95. 
Vassar  College,  90,  95. 

Wages,  82,  91. 

War,  17,  19,  33,  34,  38,  39,  49.  50,  51, 

59,  98. 
Wealth,  64,  96. 
Wealth  in  America,  96. 
Wealth  of  Methodists,  96. 
Wealth  of  the  South,  96. 
Webster,  Daniel,  43. 
Wesley,  29. 

Wesleyan  University,  90,r95,  99. 

Wheat,  75. 

Whitefield,  30. 

Who's  Who,  77. 

Williams,  J.  M.,  94. 

Williams  Loan  Fund,  84. 

Wilson,  Woodrow,  102. 

Women,  92,  93,  99. 

Woman's  Missionary  Council,  55. 

Yale  University,  34,!90,  95. 
Y.^M.1C.[A.  Secretaries,;,67. 


I 


SPIRITUAL 
[lESOURCES  MANUAL 


For  Use  of  Pastors 


"in  the  morning,  rising  up  a  greatwhile 
before  day,  he  went  out,  and  departed 
into  a  solitary  place,  and  there  prayed." 
(Mark  i.  JS.) 

"He  went  out  into  the  mountain  to  pray; 
and  he  continued  all  night  in  prayer." 
(Luke  vi,  12.) 

"Lord,  teach  us  to  pray."  (Luke  xi.  i.) 

"Evening  and  morning,  and  at  noon, 
will  I  pray,  and  cry  aloud:  and  he  shall 
hear  my  voice."    (Ps.  Iv.  17.) 


Department  of  Spiritual  Resources 

Christian  Education  Movement  and  Missionary 
Centenary,  M.  E.  Church,  South 
Nashville,  Tenn. 


From  its  inception  I  have  felt  keenly  the  need  of  thj 


prayers  of  the  praying  people  for  the  Christian  Education 
Movement.  Ours  is  a  difficult  task  as  well  as  a  great  cause.  |^ 
At  such  a  time  we  need  a  vital  faith  and  a  clear  sense  ol 
divine  leadership.  Praying  alone  can  bring  about  this  hap- 
py result. — J.  H.  Reynolds,  Director  General,  Christian  Edu 
cation  Movement.  > 

I  need  not  reemphasize  to  you  how  important  I  considel 
this  department  of  work.  If  we  shall  successfully  carry 
out  the  fundamental  program  of  the  Centenary,  we  must 
undergird  it  with  the  "Spiritual  Resources"  plan. — W.  B, 
Beaitchamp,  Director  General,  Missionary  Centenary. 

1 


PUBLISHING   HOUSE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  SOUTH 
SMITH   a   LAMAR,  AGENTS 

9 


INTRODUCTION 


The  Christian  Education  Movement  suggests  that 
)astors  spend  the  first  three  months  of  the  year  in  em- 
)hasis  on  the  three  spiritual  themes :  Prayer,  Life  Serv- 
ce,  and  Stewardship,  in  recognition  of  the  fact  that 
he  Christian  Education  Movement  is  essentially  a 
spiritual  movement.  The  Christian  education  of  our 
roung  people  cannot  be  accomplished  simply  by  build- 
ng  great  schools.  The  very  roots  of  Christian  educa- 
ion  are  in  the  home  and  the  Church.  Therefore  the 
Christian  Education  Movement,  to  be  effective,  must 
irst  emphasize  the  need  of  a  deep  spiritual  life  in  the 
■amily  and  in  the  Church.  It  must  make  its  appeal  to 
he  young  men  and  women  to  listen  to  the  voice  of  God 
vho  may  be  calling  them  to  Christian  life  service.  It 
nust  emphasize  one  of  Christ's  central  teachings  long 
ivoided  or  neglected  by  the  Church — that  of  the  Chris- 
tian's proper  attitude  toward  the  material  things  of 
life. 

The  emphasis  put  upon  these  three  themes  will  make 
:ertain  that  the  Christian  Education  Movement  will  be 
founded  upon  sure  foundations.  The  suggestions  con- 
tained in  this  manual  and  in  the  manuals  on  Christian 
Life  Service  and  SteAvardship  are  made  to  pastors  in 
the  hope  and  belief  that  they  may  be  useful  to  each 
pastor  in  building  up  a  conviction  in  the  hearts  of  his 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


people  regarding  Christian  education  which  will  nol 
only  provide  the  institutions  needed,  but  which  shall 
send  to  those  institutions  from  homes  and  Churches  a 
stream  of  boys  and  girls  with  love  of  Christ  and  the 
Church  already  in  their  hearts. 

4 


CONTENTS 

I  PAGE 

I.  Objectives    7 

II.  The  League  of  Bible  Reading  and  Prayer   9 

III.  The  Family  Altar   22 

IV.  The  Prayer  Meeting  and  Topics  for  1921   25 

V.  Sermon  Topics  Suggested  for  January   45 

VI.  Books  and  Pamphlets   114 

5 


SPIRITUAL  RESOURCES  MANUAL 


I 

Objectives 

The  origin  and  the  continuance  of  the  Department  of 
•Spiritual  Resources  is  to  be  found  in  the  earnest  de- 
!;ire  of  the  directors  of  the  Christian  Education  Move- 
ment and  the  Centenary  Campaign  to  be  of  greater 
service  to  the  Church  than  a  mere  money-raising 
agency.  The  money  is  an  absolute  necessity  in  the  de- 
v^elopment  of  the  work  of  the  kingdom,  but  of  far  great- 
er importance  than  this  is  the  development  of  the  indi- 
vidual, the  family,  and  the  Church  in  spiritual  life.  In 
other  words,  the  individual,  the  home,  and  the  Church 
are  a  part  of  the  sum  total  of  Christian  education  rep- 
resented by  the  colleges. 

With  this  purpose  in  view,  the  Department  of  Spir- 
itual Resources  will  have  as  its  objectives : 

1.  The  developijtcnt  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  indi- 
vidual through  daily  Bible  reading  and  prayer.  An 
earnest  effort  will  he  made  to  induce  every  one  of  the 
242,000  who  enrolled  in  the  Fellowship  of  Intercession 
under  the  Centenary  Campaign  and  all  others  possible 
to  enroll  for  daily  Bible  reading  and  prayer.  This  is  a 
distinct  step  in  advance.  The  pledge  in  the  Fellow^ship 
of  Intercession  was  a  promise  to  pray.  The  present  en- 
rollment will  be  for  daily  prayer  and,  as  all  prayer  is 
more  intelligent  when  connected  with  the  reading  of 

7 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


the  Word,  daily  reading  of  the  Bible  has  been  added 
As  a  help  to  all  those  who  enroll,  a  list  of  daily  Bibh  i 
readings  and  suggestive  prayers  will  be  furnished.  '%'m 

2.  The  enlargement  of  the  Family  Altar  League.  Un 
der  the  efficient  management  of  Rev.  S.  A.  Neblett,  3, 
500  family  altars  were  registered  in  this  department 
and  probably  as  many  more  set  up  of  which  no  record 
reached  the  office.  The  family  altar  has  the  greatesi 
potential  power  of  any  organization  in  the  world.  II 
is  the  hope  of  the  department  to  greatly  increase  the 
number  of  homes  in  which  family  altars  are  established. 
Helpful  literatui-e  will  be  prepared  and  sent  out  regu- 
larly to  assist  in  the  conduct  of  these  family  altars. 

3.  Th€  improvement  of  the  prayer  meeting  and  the 
estahlishment  of  prayer  meetings  in  rural  Churches. 
We  have  never  yet  realized  the  possibilities  of  the 
prayer  meeting  except  in  individual  Churches,  where 
the  program  has  been  carefully  prepared  and  an  ear- 
nest effort  made  to  have  it  carried  out  in  the  most  thor- 
ough manner.  The  department  hopes  to  'be  able  to  pre-^ 
pare  helpful  suggestions  and  programs  that  have  been 
successfully  carried  out  for  the  use  of  pastors  who  de- 
sire such  aids. 

4.  Reenforcing  other  agencies.  No  new  organization 
is  contemplated.  An  earnest  and  sympathetic  effort 
will  be  made  to  assist  in  every  way  passible  the  agen- 
cies already  at  work  for  the  development  of  the  spirit- 
ual resources  of  the  Church. 

8 


I      League  of  Bible  Reading  and  Prayer 

^  The  month  of  January  is  to  be  devoted  to  the  culti- 
■ation  of  Spiritual  Resources  as  February  and  March, 
respectively,  to  Life  Service  and  Stewardship.  The  con- 
;ecration  to  Life  Service  and  the  acceptance  of  Chris- 
ian  Stewardship  grow  fundamentally  out  of  a  vital 
ipiritual  experience  and  an  intelligent  conception  of  our 
.^elation  to  God  and  the  working  out  of  his  plans.  The 
mccess  of  these  two,  vitally  important  as  they  are, 
:herefore  will  depend  largely  on  the  foundations  laid 
n  Bible  study  and  prayer. 

Posters 

Of  great  value  will  be  the  w^all  posters,  and  it  is 
urged  that  they  be  put  in  the  most  conspicuous  places 
in  the  church. 

Watch  Night 

Every  Church  in  the  connection  will  be  given  an  op- 
portunity to  start  the  new  year  with  a  comprehensive 
program  for  a  Watch-Night  Service.  This  service 
should  be  entered  into  so  heartily  and  so  thoroughly 
that  a  great  tide  of  spiritual  power  will  be  released 
which  shall  sweep  the  Church  out  into  the  new  year 
with  enlarged  vision  and  a  unified  program  of  service. 

List  of  Readings 

Much  thought  has  been  given  to  selection  of  the  daily 
readings.    Objections  can  be  raised  to  any  plan  that 

9 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


may  be  adopted.  Some  are  scrappy  and  skip  about  in 
tbe  Biblej  others  are  too  long  or  too  short.  The  princi- 
ple that  seemed  best  to  follow  was  to  select  some  list 
already  in  use  that  would  reach  the  largest  number 
through  the  already  well  established  channels. 

Under  these  conditions  there  was  only  one  set  of 
topics  that  could  be  considered  for  any  length  of  time, 
and  that  was  the  list  selected  by  the  International  Sun- 
day School  Association  for  the  daily  home  readings  for 
the  family  altar  and  sent  out  through  the  Sunday 
school  literature. 

More  people  read  the  Bible  in  connection  with  the 
Sunday  schoo]  lesson  than  through  all  other  agencies 
combined,  and  every  individual  whom  we  induce  to  be-, 
come  a  daily  reader  will  be  a  more  intelligent  pupil 
or  teacher  in  the  Sunday  school.  Therefore  it  seemed' 
wise  to  join  with  this  great  agency  in  the  topics  pro- 
vided for  them  by  the  International  Sunday  School 
Association.  Readings  for  two  days  and  questions  for 
a  week  are  given  here.  1 

Readings  for  Adults 

Saturday,  January  1 

A  Child  Dedicated  to  God  (Luke  ii.  21-32)  \ 
x\way  back  in  the  dim  past  God  laid  upon  the  hearts 
of  parents  the  duty  of  dedicating  their  children  to  him. 
It  was  to  be  done  as  soon  after  birth  as  possible.  Je- 
sus himself,  was  thus  dedicated.   If  we  have  really  tak- 

10 


PIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


n  God  for  our  God,  how  can  we  fail  to  take  him  as  our 
tiildren's  God? 

*rayer 

Blessed  Spirit,  help  us  to  think  of  our  Father  as  the 
'ather  of  our  children  as  well  as  of  ourselves  and  as 
he  Father  not  only  of  our  own  children  but  of  all  lit- 
le  ones  who  have  never  had  a  parent  to  place  them 
nder  his  loving  care.  Amen. 

Sunday,  January  2 

lie  Pure  in  Heart  (Ps.  xxiv.  1-6) 

If  it  is  the  pure  in  heart  who  have  a  right  to  ascend 
:nto  the  hill  of  Jehovah  and  stand  in  his  holy  place, 
vhat  must  God  think  of  us  if  our  task  of  leading  little 
hildren  to  Jesus  that  they  may  be  kept  pure  is  given 
ittle  place  or  thought  in  our  homes? 

^rayer 

0  Master,  let  us  not  forget  that  our  children  will 
lave  been  sent  to  us  to  little  purpose  if  they  fail  to 
nake  us  think  of  the  pure  in  heart  or  to  make  us  am- 
)itious  to  lead  them  to  Jesus  at  a  tender  age,  that  they 
nay  be  kept  pure  in  heart.  Amen. 

Lesson  Questions 

What  did  Jesus  mean  by  ''the  kingdom  of  heaven"  ? 
What  spirit  is  required  of  those  who  enter  it? 

11 


1 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAl 

Who  is  the  best  Friend  of  children^  and  what  plej 

did  he  make  for  them  ? 

What  blessing  did  he  pronounce  on  them?  • 
What  is  meant  by  "occasions  of  stumbling"?  j 
What  is  to  be  done  with  those  who  cause  children  t^ 

"stumble"? 

In  Jesus's  parable  who  is  represented  by  the  los 
sheep  ? 

Why  did  the  shepherd  rejoice? — Home  Quarterly. 

Readings  for  Young  People 

The  same  difficulty  presents  itself  in  this  list  of  reaa 
ings  that  confronts  the  teacher  who  would  use  the  uia 
form  topics  for  the  Primary  and  Junior  pupils.  Manj 
of  the  lessons  are  too  advanced.  For  that  reason  wi 
have  selected  for  the  young  people  of  the  Junior  an« 
Intermediate  ages,  all  under  seventeen,  a  list  of  topic} 
prepared  for  the  Junior  and  Intermediate  Leaguers 
giving  consecutively  the  stories  of  the  Bible.  The  se 
lections  for  the  first  week  in  January  are  given  below. 

Stories  from  Old  Testament  History 

Peayee. 

"Just  as  I  am,  thine  own  to  be, 
Friend  of  the  young  who  lovest  me, 
To  consecrate  myself  to  thee, 
O  Saviour  Lord,  I  come,  I  come." 

Daily  Readings. 
Jan.  1.  The  Creation  of  the  World,  Genesis  i. 
2.  The  Creation  of  Man,  Genesis  ii. 

12 


'spiritual   resources  manual 


3.  The  Subtle  Serpent,  Genesis  lii. 

4.  The  Two  Brothers,  Genesis  iv.  1-16. 

5.  The  Ark  of  Gopher  Wood,  Genesis  vi. 

6.  The  Flood  of  Great  Waters,  Genesis  vii. 

7.  The  Raven  and  the  Dove,  Genesis  viii. 

Helps  for  Mothers 

There  is  still  another  class,  and  possibly  these  do  the 
■eading  most  far-reaching  in  its  results :  the  mothers 
v'ho  read  to  the  boys  and  girls  at  that  impressionable 
ige  when  a  story  is  the  most  telling  form  of  presenting 
ruth.  For  these  mothers  we  recommend  most  heartily 
lurlbut's  "Bible  Stories,"  the  edition  with  questions 
ifter  every  story.  Foster's  "Bible  Stories"  are  splen- 
lid  and  preferred  by  some  to  all  others. 

For  those  mothers  who  do  not  have  any  good  Bible 
;torybook,  we  will  gladly  provide  the  list  which  we 
'ecommend  to  the  Junior  and  Intermediates.  One 
itory  each  day  of  the  year  will  carry  the  child  in  the 
lome  through  the  principal  stories  of  interest  to  chil- 
Iren.  These  daily  readings  will  prove  of  untold  value 
:o  the  children,  and  the  mother  who  does  the  reading 
vill  have  a  good  knowledge  of  the  Book  at  the  end  of 
;he  year. 

It  is  hoped  that  all  that  is  being  done  in  the  various 
lepartments  of  the  Church  to  secure  daily  Bible  read- 
ng  and  prayer  will  be  supplemented  by  the  Depart- 
nent  of  Spiritual  Resources,  as  it  is  not  the  purpose  of 
:he  department  to  form  any  new  organization,  but  to 
vork  through  channels  already  established. 

13. 


1 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAl 


Bible  Reading  and  Prayer  H 

Emphasis  will  be  placed  during  January  on  BibL: 
reading  and  prayer  by  the  individual,  by  the  familj^. 
and  by  the  Church  in  all  its  departments.  January 
23-30  will  be  enrollment  week,  when  every  member  6j 
the  Ohurch  will  be  given  an  opportunity  to  sign  a  carJ 
similar  to  the  one  signed  in  the  campaign  for  the  Fel 
lowship  of  Intercession. 

Take  this  opportunity  to  point  out  that  Christian 
education,  which  the  Church  has  adopted  as  the  mes 
sage  to  emphasize  this  year,  includes  the  training  anci; 
development  which  one  receives  through  personal  hab 
its  of  prayer  and  Bible  reading.  The  Bible  is  one  o;' 
the  greatest  textbooks  in  the  world.  Here  is  one  o:' 
the  roots  of  Christian  education  without  which  we  cai^ 
have  no  Christian  college.  g 

Enrollment  Week — January  23-30  1 

Every  sermon  and  talk  given  during  this  month  J 
intensive  cultivation  should  so  stress  the  basal  thin| 
in  spiritual  development  as  to  lead  up  to  enrollmei 
week  and  contribute  to  the  success  of  the  plan  for  en 
listment.  Pastors,  minutemen,  officials  of  the  Wom| 
an's  Missionary  Society,  Sunday  school,  boards  of  stew] 
ards,  and  Epworth  Leagues  should  see  that  every  mem 
ber  of  the  Church  approaches  enrollment  week  with  ai 
intelligent  idea  of  its  tremendous  importance.  I 

This  enrollment  is  a  step  in  advance  of  that  for  th<l 

14 


"SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


Fellowship  of  Intercession  under  the  Missionary  Cente- 
lary,  in  that  those  who  sign  are  asked  to  pray  daily 
md  also  to  make  it  the  practice  of  their  lives  to  read 
:he  Bible  daily.  A  suitable  list  of  readings  will  be  sent 
:o  all  whose  names  and  addresses  are  forwarded  to  the 
)ffice. 

No  new  machinery  is  called  for.  The  pastor  and  his 
cabinet,  consisting  of  the  heads  of  every  organized  de- 
)artment  of  the  Church,  can  put  the  whole  force  of  the 
congregation  back  of  the  plans  for  enrollment  and 
nake  it  a  glorious  success. 

Cards  for  enrollment  will  be  sent  to  each  Church  in 
lue  time;  also  leaflet  literature,  which  can  be  handled 
)ut  at  the  door  by  the  ushers  or  some  one  specially  ap- 
pointed for  the  purpose  after  Sunday  services. 

Plan  for  Enrollment 

After  the  pastor  has  presented  the  claims  of  daily 
)rayer  and  Bible  reading  to  his  people  from  the  pulpit 
md  through  the  minutemen  and  the  cooperation  of  the 
;ocieties  and  organizations  and  through  distribution  of 
iterature,  he  will  make  an  organized  effort  to  inter- 
dew  members  of  the  Church  and  secure  their  signa- 
tures to  the  enrollment  cards.  The  following  plan  will 
)e  found  helpful  for  this  purpose : 

Call  together  January  16  the  Church  cabinet,  con- 
dsting  of  the  pastor,  the  chairman  of  the  board  of 
5tewards,  the  Sunday  school  superintendent,  the  presi- 
lent  of  the  Woman's  Missionary  Society,  the  president 

15 


SPIB.ITUAL 


RESOURCES 


MANUA 


of  the  Epworth  League,  the  chairman  of  the  Evangelisj 
tic  Committee,  the  lay  leader,  the  chairman  of  the  Sol 
cial  Service  Committee,  the  minutemen  chairman,  ancl 
others. 

1.  Discuss  with  them  and  select  a  number  of  earnes  * 
men  and  women  of  the  Church,  who  themselves  hav( 
habits  of  prayer,  and  invite  them  specially  to  meet  a 
a  prayer  meeting  session  with  you  and  the  cabinet. 

2.  Prepare  a  list  of  the  members  of  the  Church  who! 
you  and  the  cabinet  think  could  be  asked  personally  1 
sign  the  enrollment  cards.  Make  out  a  blank  card  wii 
the  name  and  address  of  each  of  these  folks.  | 

3.  Present  to  the  selected  workers  at  the  prayer  meet 
ing  the  plans  for  developing  the  prayer  life  of  th<| 
Church.  Show  them  what  can  be  accomplished  by 
Church  of  intercessors  and  ask  how  many  will  help  iij 
visiting  the  people  listed  and  bringing  them  to  enrol 
in  the  league. 

Then  divide  up  the  names  on  the  list  among  thi 
workers  and  instruct  them  as  to  when  their  worl 
should  start.  It  would  be  best  to  have  a  team  of  younj 
people  of  the  Epworth  League  or  Sunday  school  to  in' 
terview  the  young  people  of  the  Church. 

The  names  on  the  list  should  be  assigned  to  the  work' 
ers  prayerfully  and  carefully,  so  that  in  each  case  th 
personal  appeal  will  be  devoutly  and  sincerely  made. 

Engage  in  prayer  for  the  workers  and  for  those  oi! 

16 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


\ 

he  list.  Ask  the  workers  to  be  in  prayer  for  each  per- 
son on  his  list. 

I  A  Sermon  on  Daily  Prayer 

The  following  Sunday  a  strong  sermon  on  praj^er 
should  be  preached,  and  the  whole  service  should  em- 
phasize the  power  of  prayer.  See  material  that  may 
)e  used  on  page  85. 

^reparation 

Cards  for  (1)  Bible  Eeading  and  Prayer  and  (2) 
P'amily  Altar,  with  pencils,  should  be  ready  to  hand 
o  all  at  the  close  of  the  sermon.  After  a  brief  state- 
nent  of  the  purpose  of  the  enrollment,  call  for  bowed 
leads  and  silent  prayer  for  help  from  God  to  make  the 
proper  decision.  The  pastor,  or  some  one  named  by 
lim,  should  close  with  a  few  sentences  of  earnest 
orayer. 

^ignmg  the  Cards 

A  concise  explanation  of  the  cards  and  how  to  fill 
md  sign  and  hand  them  in  will  precede  the  actual  sign- 
ng.  Do  not  fail  to  take  up  the  cards,  signed  and  un- 
dgned.  Do  not  allow  any  one  to  carry  a  card  away 
;o  be  brought  back  later. 

Urge,  with  earnestness  and  fervor,  the  signing  of  the 
^ards.  Secure  every  signature  possible  before  you  an- 
lounce  that  the  cards  will  be  presented  by  a  committee 
n  the  homes  and  places  of  business  the  following 
veek,  and  any  one  who  wants  to  sign  later  can  do  so. 
2  17 


I 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAl 


Take  all  the  time  necessany  for  the  enrollment,  di 
not  hurry.  The  decision  to  enroll  is  of  tremendouij 
importance  and  will  quicken  the  sluggish  current  o\ 
many  a  life. 

Revise  Visitation  IJsts 

Immediately  after  the  service,  or  early  in  the  after 
noon,  the  committees  should  go  over  the  lists  that  hav< 
been  made  for  the  canvass  in  the  afternoon  and  th( 
following  week  and  mark  off  the  name&  of  all  whc 
signed  at  the  morning  service.  This  is  very  impor 
tant.  It  will  save  confusion  and  the  time  of  the  can 
vassers. 

f 

Starting  the  Canvass 

The  workers  should  be  ready  to  start  their  visita! 
tion  Sunday  afternoon.  When  they  secure  a  membei 
for  the  League  for  Daily  Bible  Reading  and  Prayer 
that  member  should  sign  the  double  enrollment  card, 
keeping  one  section  for  himself  and  handing  the  other 
to  the  worker,  who  should  turn  it  in  to  the  pastor. 
Ask  them  to  invite  those  who  enroll  to  the  regulati 
prayer  meeting  service  that  week. 

Their  enrollment  cards  should  be  sent  by  the  pastor 
to  P.  L.  Cobb,  160  Fourth  Avenue  North,  Nashville, 
Tenn.,  so  that  each  of  them  will  receive  a  pamphlet 
with  suggested  Bible  Beading  and  prayer  subjects  fo| 
every  day  in  the  year.  9 


Department  of  Spiritual  Resources 

Enrollment   , 

Card 


IN 


LfPUCATlOtj 
M  E. CHURCH. SOUTH 


^  League  o£  Daily 
^    Bible  Readini 
and  Prayer 


METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  SOUTH 

Desiring  to  participate  by  Bible  reading  and  prayer  in  the  Chris- 
tian Education  Movement  and  Centenary  Campaign,  I  hereby  en- 
roll as  a  member  of  the  League  for: 

(  Daily  Bible  Reading  

Put  X  in  blanks  if  you  will  enroll.  •< 

(  Daily  Prayer  

Name  

"The  Bereans  searched  the  Scriptures  daily."    (Acts  xvii.  11.) 
*'Master,  teach  us  how  to  pray."    (Luke  ii.  1.) 

(This  part  of  card  to  be  torn  off  and  kep  by  signer.) 


Department  of  Spiritual  Resources 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  SOUTH 

Daily  Bible  Reading  


Put  X  in  blanks  if  you  will  enroll.- 


Daily  Prayer 


Name 


Street  or  R.  F.  D   ...City   State  

Charge   District  Conference  

Relation  to  Church  

a.  e.  pastor,  member,  S.  S.  Supt.,  E.  L.  Pres.,  etc.) 
Please  write  plainly  and  carefully  and  hand  card  to  your  pastor  to 
be  mailed  to  P.  L.  Cobb,  Secretary  of  Department,  180  Fourth  Av- 
enue North,  Nashville,  Tenn. 


19 


(Reverse  side  of  Enrollment  Card.) 


Department  of  Spiritual  Resources 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  SOUTH 


SOME  OBJECTS  OF  PRAYER 

That  all  the  leaders  of  the  Church  may  be  chosen  of  God 
and  empowered  for  service. 

That  all  plans  may  be  inaugurated  and  carried  through 
in  obedience  to  the  will  of  God. 

That  the  Centenary  offerings  of  life  and  treasure  may  be 
so  utilized  as  to  produce  the  greatest  results  and  thereby 
enrich  the  life  of  the  Church  and  inspire  it  with  new  faith 
and  courage. 

That  the  Christian  Education  Movement  years  may  set  a 
new  mark  of  excellence  in  the  history  of  Methodism  and 
usher  in  a  new  era  of  spiritual  conquest. 

"I  exhort  therefore,  first  of  all,  that  supplica- 
tions, prayers,  intercessions,  thanksgivings,  be 
made  for  all  men."    (1  Tim.  ii.  1.) 

"Let  the  Church  return  to  the  life  of  prayer  and 
give  proof  that  she  is  willing  to  trust  to  spiritual 
means  alone  for  her  success,  and  in  that  same  hour 
the  era  of  enduring  conquest  will  begin." 


Department  of  Spiritual  Resources 

We  are  sure  that  all  who  signed  the  Fellowship  of  Inter- 
cession cards  in  the  Centenary  campaign  (242,000  persons) 
received  a  great  blessing  and  will,  without  urging,  take  this 
further  step  of  daily  Bible  reading  and  daily  prayer.  Oth- 
ers throughout  the  Church  should  join  this  new  league  for 
daily  Bible  reading  and  prayer  which  replaces  the  Fellow- 
ship of  Intercession. 

One  of  the  objectives  of  the  Fellowship  of  Intercession 
was  "that  the  Centenary  years  may  mark  a  turning  point  in 
the  history  of  Methodism  and  usher  in  a  new  era  of  spir- 
itual conquest."  This  objective  has  been  attained.  Let  us 
pray  now  that  the  high  standard  of  the  Centenary  may  be 
realized  in  the  slogan,  "No  shrinkage,  but  an  increase,"  and 
a  new  mark  of  excellence  be  set  by  the  Christian  Educa- 
tion Movement. 

When  this  card  is  duly  signed  and  sent  in,  carefully  pre- 
pared lists  of  Scripture  readings  and  suggestive  prayers 
for  daily  use  will  be  sent  you. 


20 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


Get  Them  io  Prayer  Meeting 

Ask  the  workers  to  be  present  at  the  prayer  meet- 
ing service  and  make  a  report  on  the  experiences  they 
have  had  and  the  results  they  have  secured.  Make  this 
a  strong  experience  meeting,  with  special  opportunity 
to  those  who  have  just  enrolled  in  the  league  to  take 
part  in  the  meeting  and  help  in  enrolling  new  members 
for  the  league.  The  workers  should  be  requested  to 
complete  their  visitation  by  the  next  Sunday. 

The  second  Sunday  should  be  devoted  again  to  an 
emphasis  on  prayer.  Announcement  can  be  made  of 
the  number  in  the  Church  who  have  enrolled  in  the 
league,  both  for  (1)  Bible  Reading  and  Prayer  and 
(2)  Family  Altar,  and  a  final  round  up  made  of  those 
who  have  not  enrolled.  The  committees  can  finish 
their  lists,  if  any  remain,  in  the  afternoon. 

At  the  evening  service  time  might  be  given  for  the 
workers  and  those  who  signed  cards  to  hear  testimony 
to  the  value  of  the  canvass. 

Revise  the  Cards 

When  every  member  of  the  Church  has  been  given 
an  opportunity  and  urged  to  sign,  go  carefully  over 
every  card  and  correct  names  and  addresses.  Where 
more  than  one  member  of  a  family  has  signed  a  Fam- 
ily Altar  Card  all  names  should  be  eliminated  except 
the  name  of  the  one  to  whom  literature  should  be  sent 
from  the  Central  Ofiice.  All  cards  signed  for  Bible 
Reading  and  Prayer  should  be  sent  in. 

21 


Ill  I 

The  Family  Altar  m 

The  task  which  the  General  Conference  has  set  fol 
the  Church  in  the  second  two  years  of  this  quadren- 
nium  is  not  alone  that  of  providing  needed  facilities 
and  endowments  for  our  splendid  educational  institu- 
tions. It  is  to  concentrate  the  thought  and  energy  of 
the  Church  on  the  necessity  of  making  all  the  pro- 
cesses of  education,  which  start  at  the  mother's  knee 
and  may  continue  clear  through  the  university  course, 
thoroughly  Christian  in  their  purpose  and  results. 
The  first  of  the  five  objectives  of  the  Christian  Educa- 
tion Movement,  as  set  forth  in  the  Education  Survey, 
is  ^^to  develop  in  the  mind  of  the  Church  an  adequate 
conception  of  the  place  of  Christian  education  in  the 
life  of  the  Church,  of  the  nation,  and  of  the  world." 
No  conception  of  Christian  education  can  be  adequate 
which  does  not  give  a  large  place  to  the  education  in 
the  family.  It  is  from  the  mother  and  the  father  that 
a  very  large  majority  of  the  Christian  men  and  women 
to-day  have  learned  the  truths  and  experiences  o| 
Christianity. 

It  is  high  time  to  call  attention  of  Methodist  fathers 
and  mothers  to  their  responsibility  in  the  very  begin- 
ning of  this  whole  program  of  Christian  education. 

Therefore  the  Christian  Education  Movement's  re* 

22 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


quest  to  pastors  that  in  this  emphasis  on  prayer  life 
during  January  every  opportunity  be  taken  in  the  ser- 
mons to  urge  their  people  to  set  up  and  maintain  the 
family  altar  and  thus  make  their  family  life  contribute 
its  essential  part  to  the  Church's  determined  effort 
that  this  generation  of  boys  and  girls  shall  be  brought 
up  in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  Christ  and  not  swept 
on  in  the  high  tide  of  present  materialism  and  selfish- 
ness. 

The  family  altar  presents  some  difiSculties,  but  is  a 
veritable  gold  mine  for  spiritual  values.  A  family  al- 
tar in  every  home  would  soon  solve  the  problems  of 
spiritual  resources,  life  service,  stewardship,  Christian 
education,  and,  finally,  the  early  evangelization  of  the 
world.  Then,  even  if  it  does  present  difliculties,  why 
should  we  hesitate  to  urge  others  to  do  what  we  minis- 
ters and  Christian  leaders  are  doing  already? 

Three  thousand  nine  hundred  and  forty-eight  fam- 
ilies have  been  enrolled  in  the  Family  Altar  League. 
This  has  not  more  than  scratched  the  surface  of  the 
territory  to  be  cultivated.  There  are  six  thousand  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  pastors  on  the  mailing  list  of 
the  Service  Department.  Making  allowance  for  two 
thousand  of  them  being  bachelors,  we  still  have  fewer 
families  enrolled  in  the  Family  Altar  League  than  we 
have  families  of  ministers,  to  say  nothing  of  the  more 
than  five  hundred  thousand  other  families  that  have  not 
enrolled. 

23 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


Below  is  the  enrollment  card  used  in  urging  fam- 
ilies to  set  up  the  family  altar.  Ask  your  people  to 
sign  these  cards.  Send  these  cards,  when  signed,  to  the 
Department  of  Spiritual  Resources,  Christian  Educa- 
tion Movement,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  each  family  thus 
enrolled  will  receive  helpful  literature  giving  daily 
readings  for  the  family  altar  and  other  suggestions 
which  will  help  to  make  this  service  interesting  ani 
effective.  j 

"The  family  altar  is  the  greatest  school  of  reUgion 
in  the  world.'' 


Tlie  Family  Altar  Lea^tie 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  SOUTH 


BelieTing  It  to  %•  l^oth 
my  duty  au«l  prlviloge  to 
hare  family  'grorship  in 
my  homo,  I  hereby  apply 
for  membership  in  the 
Family  Altar  League. 


Name  

Street  or  B.  F.  D. 


The  signinc  of  this  card 
signifies  that  It  is  already 
your  custom  to  hold  fam- 
ily prayers,  or  that  you 
will  from  this  date  make 
it  your  custom. 


Conference 

District  

Charge  


City   State.  

Date  

Please  hand  signed  card  to  youv  pastor  who  will  mall  to  P.  L. 
Cobb,  Secretary  of  the  Department  of  Spiritual  Resources,'  Cente- 
nary Building,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  160  Fourth  Ave.  N. 


24 


IV 


The  Prayer  Meeting 

At  the  present  time  more  thought  and  earnest  prayer 
and  effort  are  being  given  to  the  prayer  meeting  than 
ever  before  in  the  history  of  the  Church.  This  last 
week  three  separate  accounts  of  successful  midweek 
services  have  come  to  this  department. 

The  first  plan  is  a  success  because  the  pastor  has 
decided  it  shall  succeeed  and  puts  his  very  life  into  the 
effort  to  make  it  go,  and  it  ''goes."  The  second  is  an 
effort  to  put  the  laymen  in  charge,  under  the  super- 
vision of  the  pastor;  and  the  third,  as  its  name  indi- 
cates, is  purely  a  training  school  for  the  Church  by  the 
conduct  of  classes  in  the  five  departments  that  cover 
most  of  the  organized  work  of  the  Church. 

Each  is  a  w^ise  effort  to  solve^the  problem  of  the  mid- 
week service.  It  may  be  that  each  one  fits  best  the 
local  needs.  It  is  evident  that  of  all  these  varied  ef- 
forts there  will  come  experience  upon  which  we  can 
build  the  ideal  organization  for  the  prayer  meeting. 

The  account  of  the  first  meeting  was  obtained  by  re- 
quest and  given  in  the  easy  style  of  a  letter.  It  is  a 
unique  and  unusual  prayer  meeting,  entirely  different 
from  the  announcement  as  ordinarily  made,  "The  usual 
prayer  meeting  will  be  held  on  Wednesday  night." 
This  is  an  unusual  one. 

25 


I 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUA] 


J.  R.  Brown's  Elxperiences 

^'At  the  beginning  of  my  ministry  I  felt,  as  I  no^ 
feel,  that  the  prayer  services  would  be  measured  large 
ly  by  what  the  preacher  put  into  it.  In  all  th(' 
Churches  I  have  served,  we  have  had,  after  the  firsi' 
year,  real,  wide-awake,  interesting  and  helpful  prayei 
meetings. 

"W^en  I  returned  to  Abingdon,  Va.,  from  the  Annua 
Conference  we  had  one  hundred  and  twelve  at  prayei 
meeting.  On  the  second  Wednesday  after  Conferenc( 
I  had  the  janitor  count  them  as  they  retired,  and  h( 
reported  one  hundred  and  twenty.  Our  average  lasi 
year  was  one  hundred  and  six. 

"As  to  the  'How?'  I  have  no  fixed  plan.  First,  ] 
would  say,  work  and  pra^/.  I  do  not  conduct  the 
prayer  meeting  in  any  'cut  and  dried'  way.  /  jmt  all 
day  Wednesday  on  the  prayer  meeting.  The  subjecl 
is  announced  the  previous  Sunday,  often  the  previous 
Wednesday.  Wednesday  morning  I  study  how  to  dc 
it.  I  never  undertake  an  exposition  of  a  chapter.  ] 
do  that  Sunday  evening.  My  subject  is  something  defi 
nite  for  which  to  pray.  Wednesday  afternoon  I  tali 
prayer  meeting  on  the  streets.  I  give  dozens  and 
dozens  of  invitations.  I  plead  with  them  to  come 
Often  I  give  three  or  four  persons  a  'thought'  or  get  a 
promise  that  they  will  speak  a  minute  on  a  certair 
topic.  When  I  have  privately  engaged  certain  persons 
to  do  certain  things,  I  call  on  them  for  it  publicly.  J 

26  i 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


think  the  main  thing  lies  in  my  giving  every'body  some- 
thing to  do.  I  find  that  when  jou  get  any  one  to  ex- 
press  himself,  he  gets  interested.  I  allow  no  one  to 
talk  over  five  minntes.  I  call  the  presiding  elder  or 
any  minister  down  if  he  goes  overtime. 

"I  rarely  ever  pray  in  public  at  the  prayer  meeting. 
I  never  talk  over  ten  minntes.  I  do  my  best  to  have 
something  to  say  with  religious  force  and  fervor. 

''We  have  the  first  Wednesday  in  each  month  for  tes- 
timony meetings.  It  was  cold  last  Wednesday  evening, 
we  had  only  ninety-three  out.  The  lesson  was  the  last 
three  verses  of  the  third  chapter  of  Malachi.  Several 
had  committed  it  to  memory  through  the  week,  it  hav- 
ing been  previously  announced.  I  had  three  persons 
read  the  lesson  from  memory,  one  repeat  the  sixteenth, 
one  the  seventeenth,  and  one  the  eighteenth  verse  of 
the  lesson.  I  commented  two  minutes  on  the  privilege 
of  speaking  'one  to  another.'  We  had  thirty  testimo- 
nies in  less  than  thirty  minutes.  Several  expressed 
their  experience  in  choice  verse.  Mr.  Penn,  the  grand 
old  man,  arose  and  said  feelingly :  'Lord,  thou  knowest 
all  things,  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.'  'It  was  good 
then  to  be  there.' 

"I  never  surrender  the  'chair'  to  any  one.  I  am  in 
the  chair,  but  completely  hidden  behind  the  cross. 

"I  try  to  have  a  special  song  every  meeting.  Just 
call  on  the  person  previously  engaged  to  come  forward 
and  clinch  this  Bible  truth  with  the  right  solo,  or  chil- 

27 


 ^  5 

SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  3IANUAL 


dren's  song  previously  prepared  by  twelve  girls,  or  six 
boys  and  six  girls.   Change  it  every  time. 

"1.  A  dead-earnest,  live  preacher. 

^'2.  A  varied  program — a  prayed  out  program. 

"3.  Something  for  every  possible  one  to  do. 

"4:.  Do 

French  Wampler's  Plan  and  Leaflet  ^ 

The  second  account  was  sent  by  the  versatile  pastor 
of  the  Church  at  Maryville,  Tenn.,  showing  his  working 
out  of  the  plan  suggested  in  the  Advocate  article,  '^The 
Prayer  Meeting:  The  Layman's  Opportunity."  Topics 
were  selected,  subdivided,  with  added  suggestions  for 
several  to  take  part  in  each  service.  The  leaders  for 
six  months  were  selected,  with  those  who  were  to  as- 
sist by  taking  part  in  the  program.  The  entire  series 
of  topics  and  leaders  was  published  in  leaflet  form  and 
distributed  to  the  members  of  the  Church.  The  follow- 
ing will  give  enough  of  the  topics  to  show  how  it  is 
done. 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH,  SOUTH 
MARYVILLE,  TENN. 

French  Wampleb,  Pastor 
A  Schedule  or  Wednesday  Evening  Prayer  Services  for  the 
First  Half  of  the  Conference  Year,  November,  1920,  to  March; 
1921. 

HOUR  OF  MEETING,  7  P.M. 

These  programs  are  prepared  by  the  Evangelistic  Commit 
tee  of  the  Church,  who  are  in  charge  of  the  midweek  services, 

28 


<PIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


t  is  earnestly  hoped  that  all  who  are  appointed  in  any  way 
0  take  part  will  cordially  respond.  If  on  the  program,  and 
ou  cannot  attend,  please  notify  the  chairman  at  the  earliest 
■ossible  moment  While  only  a  few  are  designated  to  take 
art  in  each  program,  it  is  hoped  that  all  will  come  prepared 
0  take  some  part  in  the  services.  The  Scriptural  references 
.re  only  suggestive;  the  leaders  are  to  feel  at  liberty  to  use 
hese  or  any  other  selections.  In  order  to  make  all  meetings 
s  helpful  as  possible,  it  is  suggested  that  leaders  prepare 
ne  special  feature  not  herein  indicated  for  each  program. 

We  feel  sure  that  attendance  upon  these  meetings  will  re- 
gard you  with  a  growing  spiritual  life.  Come  and  bring  a 
riend.    A  cordial  welcome  is  extended  to  all. 

Whosoever  thou  art  that  entereth  this  church,  remember, 
t  is  the  house  of  God.  Be  reverent,  be  silent,  be  thoughtful; 
nd  leave  it  not  without  a  prayer  to  God  for  thyself,  for 
hose  who  minister,  and  those  who  worship  here. 

"I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me,  Let  us  go  into  the 
ouse  of  the  Lord." 

"It  is  written,  My  house  shall  be  called  a  house  of  prayer." 

November  Tenth 
Subject:  The  Call  of  the  World  (Missionary).   "Here  am  I: 
end  me."    (Matt,  xxviii.  19-20.) 
Leader:  Mrs.  J.  W.  Post. 

Assisting:  Mrs.  A.  B.  Montgomery  (Matt.  ix.  36-38),  Mrs. 
\  B.  Thompson  (Isa.  vi.  1-10),  Mr.  J.  A.  Cox  (Rom.  x.  13-17). 

November  Seventeenth 

Subject:  Our  Church's  Duty  to  Our  Public  Schools.  (Luke 
i.  40-51.) 
Leader:  Prof.  C.  D.  Curtis. 

Assisting:  Miss  Muriel  Taylor  (Prov.  iii.  13-20),  Mrs.  J. 
L  Staley  (Phil.  iv.  8),  Mr.  T.  B.  Howard  (2  Tim.  ii.  15). 

29 


1 


^.PIRITVAL     RESOURCES  MANUALl 


November  Twenty-Fourth 

Subject:  The  Grateful  Heart  (Thanksgiving). 
Leader:  Mr.  J.  M.  Clark.    (Psa.  ciii.) 

Assisting:  Mr.  J.  E.  Atkins  (Psa.  xciv.),  Mr.  R.  M.  King 
(Ps.  c),  Mrs.  Howard  Wilson  (Ps.  cxxxviii.),  Miss  Lois  Henry 
(Reading.)  ! 

December  First  I 

Subject:  Am  I  My  Brother's  Keeper?    (Luke  x.  25-37.) 
Leader:  Mr.  R.  G.  McNutt. 

Assisting:  Mr.  J.  M.  Gates  (Internationally),  Mrs.  Eva 
Richardson  (Missionary),  Mrs.  J.  P.  Chandler  (The  Outcasts). 

December  Eighth  I 

Subject:  The  Christian  Life.    (Matt.  v.  3-16.) 
Leader:  Mrs.  Charles  D.  Chandler. 

Assisting:  Miss  Lucy  Jarrett  (How  to  Become  a  Chris- 
tian), Mrs.  M.  A.  B.  Staley  (How  I  May  Know  I  Am  a  Chris- 
tian). 

A.  J.  Morgan's  Church  Training  Night 

The  third  was  handed  me  by  a  member  of  East  End 
Church,  Nashville,  who  was  interested  in  the  general 
plans  for  the  success  of  the  prayer  meeting.  This  is  an 
admirable  statement  from  the  study  viewpoint.  Two 
fifteen-minute  periods  of  devotion  and  forty-five  min- 
utes for  class  work  in  the  five  separate  departments  is 
as  good  a  plan  as  could  be  devised  for  the  purpose  of 
study. 

30 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


EAST  END  METHODIST  CHURCH 

Rev.  A.  J.  Morgan,  Pastor 
Nashville,  Tennessee 
The  Whole  Chukch  at  Study 
church  teainizs^g  night 

A  Common  Task  for  All 

All  are  needed  to  make  the  plan  a  success.  "The  Whole 
Church  at  Study"  is  the  goal  sought.  Weld  the  membership 
nto  a  unit  for  the  study  of  kingdom  promotion.  Here  is  a 
;hance  to  unite  your  Church  in  a  common  task. 

The  Need  for  Study 

Information  is  needed  to  train  local  leaders. 

Both  the  Epworth  League  and  Sunday  school  are  doing 
iplendid  work  among  their  constituents.  They  are  informing 
he  young  people  and  training  them  for  Christian  leadership. 
let  these  organizations  cannot  reach  all  our  membership,  and 
)astors  are  justly  concerned  about  the  lack  of  information 
ixisting  among  a  large  body  of  their  people  regarding  the 
vork  of  the  Church.  It  is  to  meet  this  great  need  that  we  are 
)lanning  Church  Training  Night. 

Schedule 

':30  Devotional  Service. 

':45  Study  Periods: 

Evangelism. — Rev.  A.  J.  Morgan,  leader.  Text:  "Tak- 
ing Men  Alive."  This  book  discloses  the  principles  un- 
derlying personal  work.  It  is  well  suited  for  individual 
or  group  study.  It  is  interesting,  wholesome,  and  great- 
ly needed. 

Missions. — Mrs.  T.  M.  Walker,  leader.    Text:  "Adven- 
tures of  Faith  in  Foreign  Lands."    This  book  is  full  of 
31 


 ! 

SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAi 


inspiration  and  information.  It  gives  a  brief  survey  o| 
world-wide  missions.  It  shows  what  men  of  heroic  faiti 
have  accomplished. 

StevxirdsMp. — Mr.  L,  E.  McElroy,  leader.  Text:  "Th< 
Nev7  Christian."  Must  a  man  give  an  account  unto  Goc 
for  the  use  of  his  money,  his  talent,  and  his  life?  Thij 
book  tells  what  Christian  Stewardship  means,  and  seeki 
to  lift  the  Church  to  a  new  level  of  spiritual  life. 

Young  People's  Department. — Miss  Marguerite  Ferrell 
leader.  Text:  "The  Bible  and  Missions."  This  book  will 
cause  every  one  to  better  understand  the  Bible  and  its 
relation  to  missions.  It  is  beautifully  written  and  fuli 
of  interest. 

Social  Service. — Mr.  W.  H.  Fitzgerald,  leader.  Text: 
"The  School  in  the  Modern  Church."  A  book  of  method 
plans,  details,  and  "how"  material,  growing  out  of  actual 
experience,  for  religious  education  in  the  school  of  the 
Church. 

8:30  Closing  Exercises.  | 
8:45  Adjournment.  S 

What  1 
Church  Training  Night  H 
Will  Accomplish  j; 
It  will:  Unite  the  whole  Church  at  a  common  task. 

Transform  the  midweek  service.  i 
Interest  the  people  in  the  work  of  the  Church.  '1 
Develop  leaders. 

Arouse  the  indifferent  to  the  real  work  of  the  Church 
Strengthen  loyalty.  Promote  sociability.  j 
Eliminate  friction.     Deepen  spiritual  life.  j 

You  Need  Just  What  i 
Church  Training  Night  Provides  I 
32  I 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


Three  Main  Features 

These  three  prayer  meetings  are  given  in  detail  be- 
■ause  there  is  to  be  found  in  them  as  the  main  char- 
icteristic  of  each  all  that  goes  to  make  the  ideal  prayer 
meeting.  Brown's  account  is  from  the  standpoint  of 
lie  consecrated  pastor,  who  fills  his  own  description : 

1.  A  dead-earnest,  live  preacher. 

2.  Using  a  varied  program,  a  prayed-out  program. 

3.  Giving  everybody  something  to  do. 

4.  Doing  it. 

The  entire  direction  of  the  meeting  and  its  prepara- 
ion  centers  in  the  pastor.  ''I  never  surrender  the 
hair  to  any  one."  The  test  of  a  plan  is  in  the  results 
)btained,  and  no  one  who  reads  the  account  will  doubt 
or  a  moment  the  wonderful  amount  of  spiritual  power 
eleased. 

The  half-year  program  of  topics  and  leaders  in 
k^'ampler's  plan  shows  the  skillful  hand  of  a  wise  pas- 
;or,  who  makes  of  his  prayer  meeting  an  organized  de- 
jartment  of  his  Church,  properly  related  and  tied  up 
0  the  Lay  Activities  Committee,  the  preparation  of  the 
}rogram  being  assigned  to  the  Evangelistic  Committee, 
one  of  the  three  under  Lay  Activities  and  correspond- 
ing to  the  Spiritual  Department  of  the  Epworth 
League. 

The  responsibility  for  the  conduct  of  the  meetings  is 
placed  on  the  laity  of  the  Church,  properly  organized 
and  under  the  direction  of  an  executive  committee  or 
3  33 


1^ 


SPIRITUAL     BE^OUBCES     31  AN  U  A 


cabinet  Avhicli  will  meet  regularly,  probably  mouth] 
to  consider  every  phase  of  the  meeting's  needs  ai 
progress.  The  central  idea  is  to  develop  the  laity  1 
placing  responsibility  on  them,  the  responsibility  of  tl 
management  of  a  department  of  the  Church,  subje 
to  the  oversight  of  the  pastor,  as  he  has  the  oversig 
of  the  Sunday  school,  Epworth  League,  and  oth 
departments. 

The  Church  Training  Night  of  Morgan  is  the  fa 
sighted  plan  of  a  pastor  of  vision,  Avho  looks  to  the  f  j 
ture,  knowing  that  in  order  to  have  consecrated  lea 
ership  we  must  have  intelligent  laymen  who  know  ai 
love  the  Church  and  appreciate  the  opportunity  t 
v^orld  service  which  it  affords.  The  five  textbool 
adopted  cover  practically  every  phase  of  Church  acti 
i(  ies.  It  is  impossible  to  measure  the  value  of  the  woi 
planned,  so  great  is  it. 

The  Ideal  Prayer  Meeting 

The  ideal  prayer  meeting  will  combine  these  thr< 
characteristics :  \ 

1.  A  dead-earnest,  live  preacher;  using  a  varied  pr 
gram;  a  prayed-out  program;  giving  everybody  som 
tiling  to  do;  doing  it. 

2.  An  organized  department  of  the  Church's  acti\ 
ties,  placing  responsibility  on  the  laity,  using  topi« 
selected  for  the  year,  developed  and  discussed  by 
number  of  people,  the  pastor  directing  the  work,  as  ' 

84 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


is  tied  np  to  the  Lay  Activities  Committee  with  its 
three  departments  already  recognized  by  the  Discipline. 

3.  Supplementing  these  two  must  come  the  informing 
process  of  the  study  course,  which  has  grown  so  popu- 
lar in  the  teacher-training  methods  of  the  Sunday 
school  and  the  study  courses  of  the  Woman's  Mission 
ary  Society  and  the  Epworth  League.  It  may  be  found 
later  that  a  forty-five  minute  period  of  the  regular 
prayer  meeting  may  be  preceded  or  followed  by  thirty 
or  forty-five  minutes  of  class  work  in  separate  rooms; 
or,  where  the  numbers  are  limited,  in  one  class,  taking 
the  different  courses  successively. 

The  probabilities  are  that  in  most  cases  the  study 
courses  can  be  conducted  most  successfully  in  the  three 
committees  of  the  Lay  Activities :  Missions,  Evangel- 
ism, and  Social  Service. 

Out  of  the  Heart  of  God 

It  has  been  said  that  ''Every  Christian  movement 
that  has  succeeded  has  come  out  of  the  heart  of 
God."  This  is  true  of  every  undertaking,  individual  or 
collective,  in  the  kingdom.  Then,  back  of  all  plan- 
ning, must  be  that  volume  of  spiritual  power,  a  vital 
touch  of  God,  so  that  out  from  his  heart  may  come 
upon  us,  and  through  us  and  the  organization  whic) 
we  attempt  to  build,  the  divine  energy  that  makes  the 
dry  bones  live. 

35 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


The  Framework  ^ 

But  tbe  bones,  the  framework,  is  an  absolute  neces- 
sity. I  listened  with  great  interest  to  a  mother  as  she 
explained  to  the  nine-year-old  boy  at  her  side  the  work- 
ing of  the  ball  and  socket  joint  of  the  hip  which  she 
had  just  cut  from  a  beef  roast.  His  eyes  were  wide 
open  with  wonder  as  she  handled  the  polished  and 
oiled  surfaces  and  explained  to  him  the  cartilage  bj 
which  the  end  of  the  ball  was  fastened  securely  to  tlie 
center  of  the  cavity,  so  that  the  cow  could  lift  her  leg 
with  each  and  by  which  her  leg  was  kept  from  ^'falling 
off."  In  a  little  while  the  boy  was  running  over  the 
kitchen  floor  holding  his  knee,  then  stopping  to  work 
his  knee  joint  and  explaining  to  his  mother  how  it 
worked  and  why  his  leg  did  not  fall  ofT. 

Standard  Plan 

The  Centenary  Movement  succeeded  in  quadrupling 
the  funds  available  for  our  forward  movements  at  home 
and  abroad.  A  great  task  confronted  us.  Never  be- 
fore was  such  a  volume  of  prayer  sent  up  to  the  throne 
by  our  people;  never  were  they  girded  with  greater 
power  for  the  etiort,  and,  back  of  it  all,  was  the  frame- 
work of  the  Standard  Plan,  with  intensive  campaigns 
in  the  departments  of  Spiritual  Resources,  Life  Serv- 
ice, and  Stewardship,  followed  by  the  well-timed  Eight- 
Day  Drive. 

The  ideal  prayer  meeting  will  be  developed  by  pas- 

36 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES     M  ANUAL 


tors  and  people  who  live  close  to  God ;  whose  every  act 
is  a  prayer  and  every  contact  a  releasing  of  virtue  as 
when  Christ  healed  the  woman  with  the  issue  of  blood, 
and  w^ho,  in  addition  to  consecration  and  prayer,  work 
through  the  most  perfect  organization  human  ingenui- 
ty can  devise.  The  father  ventured  to  ask  the  little 
boy,  *'Who  made  the  wonderful  ball-and-socket  joint 
and  tied  them  together  with  cartilage?"  Without  a  mo- 
ment's hesitation  the  answer  came :  ''God."  "All  things 
have  been  created  through  him,  and  in  him  all  things 
hold  together.  (Col.  i.  17.)  His  answer  explains  the 
universe. 

The  Country  Church 

The  second  phase  of  the  prayer  meeting,  which  has 
not  been  touched  so  far  in  this  discussion,  is  the  coun- 
try Church  without  a  prayer  meeting.  So  far  as  I 
know,  no  survey  has  been  made  of  any  large  part  of  the 
territory  of  the  Church.  It  is  hoped  that  a  survey 
which  is  now^  being  planned  for  a  single  Conference 
will  soon  be  complete,  and  the  data  can  be  used  for  an 
estimate  for  the  entire  Church. 

A  survey  made  of  certain  circuits  would  indicate 
that  several  thousand  rural  Churches  are  v/ithout  a 
weekly  prayer  meeting.  A  group  of  people,  however 
small,  meeting  for  prayer  and  discussion  of  God's  Word 
and  dealings  with  his  people,  would  be  of  untold  value 
in  social  and  spiritual  fellowship. 

Such  a  service  in  every  country  Church  would  go  far 

37 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


to  train  and  spiritualize  the  oncoming  tide  that  is 
rushing  from  the  rural  territory  to  our  towns  and 
cities,  constituting  the  bulk  of  the  membership  of  our 
city  Churches,  the  leaders  in  every  department  of 
the  city's  life,  furnishing,  too,  the  poorer  element  that, 
unable  to  stand  the  grind,  are  dropped  into  the  slums 
and  become  the  recruiting  ground  for  every  evil 
propaganda.  ^ 
The  Farmer 

Then,  too,  these  country  Church  prayer  meetings! 
would  touch  more  largely  than  any  other  element  of 
the  population  the  farmers  and  their  families,  from 
which  come,  at  present,  sixty-seven  out  of  every 
hundred  of  the  ministers  of  our  Church.  The  oppor- 
tunity of  a  Sunday  school  and  a  prayer  meeting, 
which  would  have  to  be  conducted  by  the  people  them- 
selves, would  ground  the  young  men  and  women  in  the 
Word  and  give  them  a  chance  to  develop  their  natural 
gifts  in  speech  and  service.  Many  a  young  life  would 
thus  be  consecrated  and  better  prepared  for  Life 
Service. 

Vacant  Pulpits 

Another  far-reaching  need  of  the  country  Church, 
that  would  be  met  by  the  prayer  meeting,  is  the  vacant 
pulpit  on  three  Sundays  of  the  month.  The  minute- 
men  and  emergency  speakers  should  fill  as  many  of 
these  as  possible ;  but,  when  that  is  done,  many  pulpits 
will  still  remain  vacant.    The  prayer  meeting,  follow- 

38 


iPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  .MANUAL 


Qg  the  session  of  the  Sunday  school,  or  held  in  the 
ifternoon  or  night,  could  eliminate  the  vacant  pulpit. 

The  Man  Who  Knows 

The  process  of  organization  would  be  comparatively 
'asy.  The  presiding  elder,  after  locating  the  Churches 
u  his  district  having  no  prayer  meeting,  could,  in  his 
)wn  way,  see  that  they  are  started  in  every  Church. 
Let  me  add  here  that  no  set  of  men  in  the  Church  un- 
lerstand  and  appreciate  the  value  of  the  country 
Church  as  does  the  man  whose  duty  it  is  to  review 
3very  quarter  of  the  year  their  progress,  or,  as  is  some- 
times the  case,  their  failure,  and  to  no  other  could  be 
committed  this  most  important  work  with  such  confi- 
ilence  of  ultimate  success. 

The  circuit  preacher  looks  to  his  presiding  elder  and 
cooperates  heartily  in  his  plans;  the  people  of  the  ru- 
ral Church  respond  to  his  approaches,  so  that  a  Church- 
wide  effort  to  fill  vacant  pulpits  would  accomplish 
wonders.  The  w^ise  presiding  elder  would  call  to  his 
help  the  laymen  of  the  district,  especially  those  in 
whose  Churches  is  a  flourishing  prayer  meeting.  These 
men  would  be  delighted  to  go,  at  their  own  expense, 
anywhere  to  assist  in  starting  a  prayer  meeting  and  in 
visiting  the  Church  occasionally  to  render  any  further 
service  necessary  to  keep  the  meeting  going  and  to 
improve  the  quality  of  its  work. 

39 

i 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


Sermon  Maierkil 

Suggested  material  for  sermon  emphasis  for  prayer 
meeting  will  be  found  on  page  85. 

Suggested  Prayer  Meeting  Topics,  1921 

The  prayer  meeting  topic  is  selected  from  one  of  the  Home 
Daily  Readings  of  the  previous  week.  It  bears  on  the  Sunday 
school  topic  so  that  the  daily  reading  of  the  individual  and 
the  family  and  all  gleaned  from  preparation  and  recital  of  the 
Sunday  school  lesson  fits  one  to  take  part  in  the  prayer  meet- 
ing that  follows.  In  this  way  we  have  tied  the  prayer  meeting 
up  with  the  largest  group  of  Bible  students  in  the  Church. 

One  other  feature,  so  necessary  to  the  successful  on- 
going of  the  prayer  meeting,  is  the  selection  of  a  series 
of  topics  running  through  the  year  and  some  treatment 
of  these  topics  in  a  manner  similar  to  the  three-minute 
speeches  of  the  minutemen.  The  following  are  sug- 
gested as  having  been  prepared  with  great  care.  A 
prepared  treatment  of  the  topics,  with  a  plan  for  as 
many  people  as  possible  to  take  part,  will  be  provided. 

Jan.  5.  Christian  Training  of  the  Children.  (Luke 
ii.  -40-52;  Deut.  vi.  4-0.) 

Jan.  12.  The  Power  of  Prayer:  For  Forgiveness. 
(Ps.  li.  1-17;  Col.  iii.  12-17.) 

Jan  19.  A  Justifiable  Monopoly.  (Mark  xii.  28-34; 
Prov.  viii.  10-21.) 

Jan.  26.  A  Lofty  Aim  in  a  Lowly  Spirit.  (Mark  x. 
3545;  1  Cor.  xiii.  1-13,  xiv.  1.) 

Feb.  2.  Temporary  Enthusiasm  vs.  Life-Long  Devo- 

40 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


tion.  (John  xii.  12-19;  John  xix.  U-16;  Phil.  iii.  7-15, 
iv.  8,  9.) 

Feb.  9.  Bearers  of  a  Gracious  Invitation.  (Acts  xiii. 
1-3;  Kom.  x.  8-16;  1  Cor.  ix.  16,  17.) 

Feb.  16.  A  Reasonable  Service  as  Citizens  of  Heaven. 
(Phil.  iii.  20,  21;  Eph.  ii.  4-10,  19,  20;  Rom.  xii.  1,2.) 

Feb.  23.  Preparing  for  a  Life's  Work  in  the  Kingdom. 
(Luke  xii.  32-40;  Mark  xiii.  28-37;  Eph.  iii.  14-19.) 

March  2.  Use  or  Lose :  Talents  and  Proportionate  Op- 
portunities.   (Matt.  XXV.  31-46;  Gal.  vi.  6-10.) 

March  9.  Judas's  Money  Bag  vs.  the  Alabaster  Box. 
(John  xii.  1-8;  Col.  iii.  12-17.) 

March  16.  Christ  with  His  Inner  Circle.  (Mark  xiv. 
12-31;  1  Cor.  x.  16,  17,  xi.  23-29.) 

March  23.  The  Groups  around  the  Cross. 

March  30.  Missionary  Topic. 

Social  Teachings 

April  6.  The  Other  Man  and  I.  (Luke  vi.  27-38, 
43-45.) 

April  13.  The  Man  that  Lives  within  Me.  (1  Cor. 
ix.  21-27;  Prov.  iv.  18-27,  v.  1-2.) 

April  20.  Workers  or  Shirkers  in  the  Partnership 
with  God.  (John  v.  17;  2  Thess.  iii.  6-13;  Gen.  ii.  4-9, 
15-20.) 

April  27.  An  Inverse  Ratio  in  the  Kingdom.  (Prov. 
xi.  23-28;  Matt.  vi.  19-24;  Ps.  1.  7-15.) 

May  4.  Thinking  God's  Thoughts  After  Him,  or  Mak- 

41 


SPIRI T UAL 


RESOURCES 


■     ■    .V  ~  

IM  ANUAL 


ing  Education  Christian.  (James  i.  2-8,  16-18;  Prov. 
iii.  13-26,  iv.  7.) 

May  11.  A  Christian's  Eecreation.  (Gen.  ii.  2;  Neh. 
viii.  9-18;  Luive  vi.  1-11;  Eccles.  ii.  1-13. 

May  18.  Team  AYork.  (1  Cor.  xii.  12-27;  Neh.  iv. 
15-20;  Ps.  cxxxiii. 

May  25.  Are  We  Ever  Off  Duty?  (Gen.  xviii.  19; 
Matt.  V.  14-16;  Col.  iii.  12-25.)       '  \ 

June  1.  My  Neighbor  and  I.  (Matt.  xxv.  34-46;  Lev. 
xix.  9-18.) 

June  8.  America  for  Christ.  (2  Sam.  xxiii.  1-4; 
Deut.  V.  6-21;  Rom.  xiii.  1-7;  Isa.  ii.  1-4.) 

June  15.  Three  Ways  to  Attain  World  Power.  Matt, 
xxviii.  19,  20;  1  Sam.  xii.  23;  Luke  x.  ii;  Mai.  iii.  7-10.) 

June  22.  The  Leaven  that  Leaveneth  the  Whole. 
(Matt.  xiii.  33,  v.  13;  John  xiii.  34,  35;  Luke  iv.  16-21.) 

June  29.  Missionary  Lesson :  Brazil's  Need — a  Chal- 
lenge to  Church. 

Lessons  on  Life  and  Letters  of  Paul 

July  6.  Program  of  the  Apostolic  Church.  (Acts  i. 
8.) 

July  13.  God's  Plan  for  Every  Life— Shall  I  Adopt  or 
Reject  Mine?    (Acts  xxii.  14,  15,  ix.  13-18a,  xxvi.  19.) 

July  20.  A  Wonderful  Transformation.  (Gal.  ii.  19, 
20;  Acts  xxii.  1-21;  Phil.  iii.  7-10,  13.) 

July  27.  Saved  to  Serve.  (Acts  ix.  26-30,  xxii.  17-21 ; 
Gal.  i.  18-24.) 

42 


'.PIRTTUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


Aug.  3.  Barnabas,  the  Discoverer  of  Hidden  Talent. 
Acts  iv.  36,  37,  ix.  26-27,  xi.  19-26,  xiii.  1.) 

Aug.  10.  Saved  and  Sent.  Evangelistic  Work.  (Acts 
:iii.  1-3,  13-52.) 

Aug.  17.  Those  in  Glass  Houses  Who  Had  Once 
Thrown  Stones.    (Acts  xiv.  19,  20-28.) 

Aug.  24.  An  Inspiring  Rehearsal.  (Acts  xiv.  27,  xv. 
2;  Ps.  xix.  1-6;  Isa.  xlix.  6b-13,  xxxv.  1-10.) 

Aug.  31.  Westward  Turn  of  the  Gospel.  (Acts  xvi. 
M5;  Rora.  xv.  15-21;  Luke  i.  67-79;  Acts  iii.  22-26.) 

Sept.  7.  Kept  in  All  Thy  Ways.  (Ps.  xci.;  2  Cor.  1. 
]-9,  xi.  23-31.) 

Sept.  14.  The  Eternal  Newness  of  the  Gospel.  (Lam. 
iii.  23;  2  Cor.  v.  17;  Acts  xvii.  19-21;  Isa.  xl.  21-26,  27- 
51.) 

Sept.  21.  How  to  Win  the  Race.  (1  Cor.  ix.  24-27; 
Rom.  vii.  14-25,  viii.  1-3;  Heb.  xi.  39,  40,  xii.  1-3.) 

Sept.  28.  Present  Needs  and  Examples  of  Evangelis- 
tic Work.    (Gal.  vi.  1-10;  Acts  i.  1-9.) 

Fourth  Quarter 

|i   Oct.  5.  Friends  and  Enemies — for  Christ's  Sake. 
(Acts  xviii.  1-4,  12-17;  Col.  i.  1-14.) 

Oct.  12.  Gospel  Interfering  with  Business.  (Acts 
xix.  23-41,  XX.  19;  Matt.  vi.  19-21,  v.  29,  30.) 

Oct.  19.  Corinthian  Christians.     (Acts  xviii.  1-11. 
Read  entire  Epistle  of  1  Corinthians.) 
I    Oct.  26.  A  Farewell  Sermon.    (Acts  xx.  17-38;  John 
XV.  1-11.) 

43 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


Nov.  2.  Bravery  before  Known  Danger.  (Acts  xxi. 
7-14;  Ps.  xxxvii.  4-7a.) 

Nov.  9.  Saved  by  a  Boy.    (Acts  xxiii.  12-24;  Ps.  Ivi.) 

Nov.  16.  Conscience  Making  for  Cowardice  or  Cour- 
age.   (Acts  xxiv.  22-27,  16;  1  John  iii.  19-22.) 

Nov.  23.  Paul's  Secret  of  Success.  (Acts  xxvi.  19, 
20,  ix.  15,  16;  Phil.  iii.  7-14.) 

Nov.  30.  Confidence  in  God  Makes  a  Useful  Man. 
(Acts  xxvii.  22-25,  9-44;  Ps.  xxvii.  1-7.) 

Dec.  7.  The  Goal  in  Sight.  (Acts  xxviii.  14,  15,  xxiii. 
11;  Luke  ix.  51.) 

Dec.  14.  Love  in  All  Human  Relations.  (Eph.  iii. 
14-19;  Dent.  xv.  12-18— a  love  slave.) 

Dec.  21.  The  Close  of  a  Victorious  Life.  (2  Tim.  iv. 
6-18;  Rev.  ii.  10b;  1  Pet.  i.  8.) 

Dec.  28.  What  the  Christ-child  Can  Bring  to  the  Na- 
tions of  the  World.    (Matt.  i.  21;  Luke  i.  32,  33.) 

44 


V 


Sermon  Topics  Suggested  for  January 

The  Department  of  Spiritual  Resources,  after  consid- 
ering many  topics  tbat  might  be  suggested,  finally  de- 
cided on  the  following : 

Jan.  2.  Beginning  the  Year  with  the  Book.  The 
purpose  in  the  sermon  would  be : 

1.  The  value  of  the  Bible  the  greatest  educational 
agency  in  the  world  in  any  scheme  of  Christian  edu- 
cation. 

2.  The  Home  as  the  greatest  School  of  Religion  in  the 
world  with  the  individual  member  of  the  family  as  the 
pupil  in  that  school. 

3.  Tlie  absolute  necessity  of  bringing  into  the  great- 
est school  of  religion  the  greatest  educational  agency. 

4.  This  can  be  done  only  by  the  most  tremendous 
effort  in  the  most  systematic  and  carefully  worked-out 
plan. 

5.  The  family  altar  and  the  daily  reading  of  the  Word 
are  the  two  methods  to  be  pursued. 

The  Bible  texts  are  merely  suggestive.  It  is  hoped 
that  the  treatment  may  be  suggestive  and  some  of  the 
facts  helpful  in  the  way  of  illustrative  material. 

Jan.  9.  "The  Prayer  that  Teaches  How  to  Pray.-' 
(Matt.  vi.  9-13.) 

45 


SPIRITUAL     RESOVRCEH  MA^'VA 


We  were  fortunate  in  securing  Dr.  F.  S.  Parker,  oi 
of  our  most  scholarly  editors,  to  prepare  this  outlin. 
The  Lord's  Prayer  is  the  most  illuminating  and  suj 
gestive  prayers  of  all  the  attempts  ever  made  to  formi 
late  prayer. 

Jan.  16.  ^'The  Church  in  Intercession  and  Prepare 
tion  for  Service''  deals  with  the  prayer  meeting.  Tber 
is  a  world  of  suggestion  in  the  variety  presested  by  th 
five  prayer  meetings  referred  to.  The  treatment  of  thi 
Prayer  Meeting,  page  25,  of  the  Manual  should  be  rea' 
in  connection  with  the  treatment  given  here.  The  illi  ; 
trations  are  from  the  Interchurch  literature. 

This  sermon  should  also  emphasize  the  enrollmen 
to  be  made  the  following  Sunday,  January  23,  an< 
continue  through  the  week,  closing  Sunday,  Januai^ 
30. 

Jan.  23.  ''The  Power  of  Men  Who  Prayed.''  We  ar 
indebted  to  Dr.  J.  S.  Chadwick,  in  charge  of  the  Pul 
licity  Department  of  the  Christian  Education  Move 
ment  for  the  Church  press,  for  this  treatment.  Wi 
have  added  some  illustrative  material  from  Mr.  Johi 
R.  Mott  and  W.  E.  Doughty.  $ 

The  preparation  for  this  sermon  and  the  enrollmem 
for  (1)  Bible  Study  and  prayer  and  (2)  the  Family 
Altar  should  be  unusually  thorough.  Suggested  ma 
terial  and  illustrations  may  be  found  on  page  85. 

Jan.  30.  ''Serving  Tables  (Acts  vi.  1-8)  is  a  study  o 
the  Scripture  incident  and  an  application  of  the  lessoi 

46  ; 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


learned  to  moderu  conditions  of  the  Church.  The  four 
other  topics  head  up  in  this.  The  Christian  force  that 
is  to  be  must  be  grounded  by  Bible  study  and  prayer 
and  given  a  chance  for  expression  in  speech  and  action 
through  the  prayer  meeting. 

TOPIC  FOR  JANUARY  2:  "BEGINNING  THE 
YEAR  WITH  THE  BOOK'* 

Begin  with  this  sermon  to  urge  the  family  altar  in 
each  home  and  to  show  its  relationship  to  the  whole 
program  of  Christian  education. 

"The  family  altar  is  the  greatest  school  of  religion 
in  the  world." 

Whenever  opportunity  offers  urge  people  to  enroll  in 
the  family  altar  league  by  signing  one  of  the  enroll- 
ment cards. 

Scripture  References 

''Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures.  (Matt.  xxii. 
29.) 

''From  a  child  thou  hast  known  the  Scriptures." 
(2  Tim.  iii.  15.) 

'^They  [the  Bereans]  searched  the  Scriptures  daily.'* 
(Acts  xvii.  11.) 

"This  book  of  the  law  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy 
mouth ;  but  thou  shalt  meditate  therein  day  and  night." 
(Josh.  i.  8.) 

"And  then  thou  shalt  teach  them  [the  command- 
ments] diligently  to  thy  children."    (Deut.  vi.  7.) 

47 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


The  new  emphasis  to  be  placed  on  the  systematic 
reading  of  the  Bible  justifies  ns  in  a  restatement  of  the 
value  of  the  Scriptures  and  their  place  in  the  scheme 
of  Christian  education. 

TJw  Bible  a  Missionary  Message 

The  Bible  is  the  forerunner  of  all  effective  mission- 
ar}^  activities,  the  constant  companion  of  the  mission- 
ary laborer,  and  the  inspiration  of  the  native  Christian 
as  he  struggles  in  building  and  perfecting  the  kingdom. 

The  origin  of  the  Bible,  the  message  it  brings,  and 
its  beneficent  results  proclaim  it  as  one  of  God's  chief- 
est  agencies  in  the  missionary  propaganda. 

The  calling  of  Abraham  to  go  out  from  his  home  and 
the  covenant  blessings  promised  through  him  to  all  the 
world  are  the  beginning  of  those  mighty  racial  move- 
ments which  promise  to  embrace  the  whole  human  race 
in  a  mighty  lift  toward  God.  The  highest  and  mosf 
far-reaching  visions  of  the  Old  Testament  are  found  in 
the  Psalms,  Isaiah,  Daniel,  and  the  preeminent  mis- 
sionary message,  the  prophecy  of  Jonah,  and  these  are 
\isions  of  a  kingdom  that  shall  spread  over  the  whole 
earth. 

The  New  Testament,  with  the  possible  exceptions  of 
Matthew's  Gospel,  was  written  either  for  use  among 
non-Jewish  people  or  to  elucidate  the  problems  arising 
among  Churches  planted  in  missionary  territory. 

48 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


A  World  Movement 

The  message  of  the  Xew  Testament  presents  an  ever- 
enlarging  missionary  propaganda. 

While  Jesus  was  hanging  on  the  cross  expiating  the 
sins  of  the  whole  world,  the  fact  of  this  universal 
atonement  was  published  by  the  rending  veil  of  the 
temple. 

Pentecost 

'  When  the  Holy  Spirit  ushered  in  his  administration 
of  Christ's  kingdom,  he  chose  the  fitting  day  of  Pente- 
cost, when  the  dispersed  sons  of  Abraham  were  gath- 
ered from  every  clime,  so  that  on  their  return  they 
might  publish  abroad  the  story  of  Peter's  sermon,  the 
rushing  mighty  wind,  and  the  tongues  of  fire. 

Door  Opened  to  Gentiles 

After  Pentecost  and  those  glorious  days  of  evangel- 
istic preaching  and  gleaning,  when  the  Spirit  would 
single  out  a  conspicuous  Gentile  representative,  the 
occasion  was  honored  by  a  vision  from  heaven,  and  he, 
who  had  been  the  spokesman  of  the  twelve,  unlocked 
forever  the  door  of  access  to  the  kingdom,  and  when 
that  splendid  heathen,  Cornelius,  bathed  in  religious 
fervor,  stepped  in,  the  narrowness  of  a  bigoted  sect  was 
unable  to  batter  down  the  walls  of  argument  built  by 
Peter  in  defense  of  his  action. 
4  49 


I 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


The  Fourth  Step  ! 

Another  step  remained  in  the  world-wide  publication 
of  the  gospel.  Cornelius  was  the  representative,  but 
there  must  come  a  recognized  movement  to  reach  the 
millions  for  whom  he  stood.  Then  the  Holy  Spirit,  at 
Antioch,  the  new  center  of  radiation,  said,  "Separate 
me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  to  which  I  have 
called  them,"  and  the  little  tentmaker  went  forth  un- 
der God  to  do  the  mightiest  work  of  missionary  minis- 
try the  world  ever  saw. 

The  call  of  Barnabas  and  Saul  was  the  fourth  step 
in  the  universal  propagation  of  the  gospel.  The  rend- 
ing veil,  the  tongues  of  fire,  the  sheet  from  heaven,  and 
the  voice  of  separation  complete  the  initial  stages  of 
the  mighty  movement  of  Christ  against  heathenism, 
which  rushes  in  to-day  with  a  swiftness  and  momentum 
heretofore  unknown. 

In  this  way  the  missionary  operations  outlined  by 
our  ascending  Lord  are  being  realized, — to  wit :  ''Tarry 
at  Jerusalem,  ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Spir- 
it ;  ye  shall  receive  power  and  ye  shall  be  my  witnesses 
both  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all  Judea  and  Samaria  and 
unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth." 

"Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature"  eliminates  forever  the  idea  of  exclusive 
home  consumption  and  declares  that  the  Bible  with 
the  Christ  message  is  beyond  all  things  else  a  mission- 
ary book,  missionary  in  its  origin,  missionary  in  its 

50 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


message,  and  be3^ond  compare  missionary  in  its  benefi- 
cent results. 

Universal  Appeal  of  God's  Word 

Allow  me  now  for  a  time  to  make  as  clear  as  I  pos- 
sibly can  the  universal  appeal  of  tlie  Bible  and  show 
cause  why  as  a  great  textbook  for  the  education  of  the 
race  it  is  a  most  powerful  factor  in  the  education  of 
the  individual,  the  family,  the  nation,  the  wide  world, 
and  how,  most  of  all,  we  need  as  a  part  of  our  Chris- 
tian Education  ^lovement  to  emphasize  its  study  in  a 
consecutive  and  systematic  way. 

The  Bible  as  a  Textbook 

Lincohi-s  Sixty-Six  Books 

The  Bible  is,  by  all  odds,  the  greatest  textbook  in 
the  schooling  of  the  race.  Hamilton  W.  Mabie,  one  of 
the  foremost  literary  critics  of  America,  writing  of 
books  that  educated  Abraham  Lincoln,  says :  ^'To  begin 
with,  there  was  that  great  literature  in  prose  and  verse 
which  we  call  the  Bible,  a  library  of  sixty-six  volumes, 
presenting  almost  every  literary  form,  touching  at 
many  points  the  highest  altitudes  of  human  thought, 
sounding  in  many  places  the  deepest  depths  of  human 
experience,  and  taking  again  and  again  the  most  ex- 
alted forms  of  literary  expression.  These  books,  trans- 
lated at  the  happy  moment  when  the  English  language 
had  just  received  the  impress  of  the  genius  of  some  of 
its  supreme  masters,  he  knew  intimately.   These  sixty- 

51 


f 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


six  books  emancipated  him  at  once  from  the  harsh  and 
narrow  conditions  in  which  he  was  born;  they  set  him 
in  the  great  currents  of  human  life;  they  brought  be- 
fore him  the  highest  ideals  of  human  character;  and, 
above  all,  for  the  purposes  of  his  education,  they  pre- 
sented to  his  imagination  the  loftiest  examples  of  hu- 
man speech/- 

The  greatest  masters  of  that  strong  Anglo-Saxon 
form  of  speech,  so  simple,  so  direct,  touching  so  closely 
the  hearts  and  homes  of  the  people,  have  been  constant 
students  of  the  old  English  version  of  the  Bible. 
Among  them  the  two  great  popular  orators  of  England 
during  the  nineteenth  century  were  John  Bright  and 
Charles  Haddon  Spurgeon  and  in  the  United  States 
Dwight  L.  Moody,  Sam  P.  Jones,  and  William  Jen- 
nings Bryan. 

Stimulus  to  Research  ^ 
The  Bible  does  not  lay  claim  to  being  a  history,  and 
yet  we  venture  the  assertion  that  no  other  book  or  set 
of  books  have,  by  their  immediate  or  remote  influence, 
contributed  so  largely  to  the  study  of  history.  Bibli- 
cal research  has  challenged  friend  and  foe  alike  to  in- 
vestigation of  the  life  and  works,  not  only  of  the  He-J 
brew  race,  but  of  every  people  whom  they  touched. 
Archaeology  was  conceived  and  brought  to  birth  by 
Bible  students.  The  long  buried  treasures  of  ancient 
cities,  being  uncovered,  are  throwing  a  world  of  light 
on  modern  problems  and  have  served  to  correct  many 

52 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MAXUAL 


popular,  though  erroneous,  notions  concerning  the  Bi- 
ble.   Babylon,  Persia,  Assyria,  Egypt,  Greece,  and 
Rome  in  turn  have  been  studied  because  they  touch  the  , 
Jewish  people. 

What  do  the  far  Eastern  people  care  about  these  na- 
tions, their  neighbors  and  their  kinsmen  by  race  and 
general  characteristics?  The  answer  is  near  at  hand, 
they  have  not  yet  come  under  the  sway  of  the  Bible. 
We  of  the  West  study  Egyptian  history  and  delve 
among  its  ruined  temples  because  Abraham  sojourned 
there,  because  the  Hebrew  nation  came  to  birth  in  their 
flight  from  Egypt,  and  the  child  Jesus  tarried  awhile 
amid  its  ancient  glories.  Babylon  is  known  because  of 
the  captivity  and  the  dispersion  of  the  Jews.  The 
revival  of  Bible  study  in  the  original  language  has  led 
Time  and  again  to  a  general  revival  of  learning  as  it 
has  brought  its  votaries  in  touch  with  the  riches  of 
Grecian  life  and  literature. 

Maker  of  Histori/ 

Xor  is  the  Bible  an  introduction  alone  to  the  study 
of  archaeology  and  ancient  civilization.  The  begin- 
ning of  Christianity  fixed  new  dates  to  the  world's  his- 
tory. The  Bible  alone  can  account  for  the  epochs  of 
early  medieval  and  modern  history.  The  conversion 
of  the  Roman  Empire,  the  Christianization  of  Northern 
and  Western  Europe,  the  British  Isles,  the  conversion 
of  Russia,  the  ill-fated  Crusades,  the  great  political 
influence  of  Rome,  and  tlie  greatest  of  all  modern  movc- 

53 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


ments,  the  Protestant  Keformation,  can  be  understood 
only  in  the  light  of  the  Bible. 

Explains  World  Movements 

In  like  manner  the  world  movements  of  our  own  day 
ran  be  learned  and  appreciated  only  as  viewed  in  the 
light  of  the  life  of  the  Son  of  man.  Philanthropic  en- 
terprises whose  gigantic  proportions  stagger  the  com- 
prehension are  but  the  continuation  of  the  work  of  him 
who  "went  about  doing  good."  The  League  of  Nations' 
residence  in  Geneva,  the  harbinger  of  international  un- 
derstanding and  good  will,  is  but  the  song  of  the  angels, 
carved  in  stone,  as  they  sang  ''Peace  on  earth  to  men 
of  good  will."  The  stooping  shoulders  under  "the  white 
man's  burden"  are  but  the  visible  expression  of  the 
words  of  the  Burden  Bearer,  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye 
that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest,"  and  the  command  of  the  great  apostle,  "Bear  ye 
one  another's  burdens,  and  so  fulfill  the  law  of  Christ." 
American  millions  for  relief  in  Poland  spells  "good 
Samaritan"  to  the  man  who  fell  among  thieves.  On 
all  sides  are  tokens  of  the  brotherhood  of  the  race.  The 
Nazarene's  life  is  being  wrought  into  the  life  of  the 
world. 

History  Itself 

The  Bible  is  not  only  an  introduction  to  history,  it 
is  history,  the  history  of  the  highest  revelation  to  the 
race :  history  of  the  most  efi'ectual,  written  in  the  lives 

54 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


of  individuals.  The  painter  of  Cromwell's  portrait  was 
no  more  faithful  in  portraying  every  mole  than  the 
sacred  historians  were  in  giving  every  detail  of  the 
biographical  portraiture  in  which  the  Bible  abounds. 
Abraham,  the  friend  of  God,  the  father  of  the  faithful, 
trembling  at  the  thought  of  Egypt's  king,  and  dissem- 
bling to  save  himself ;  Jacob,  the  successful  angel  wrest- 
ler, once  the  supplanter  of  his  brother  and  the  deceiver 
of  his  father;  Moses,  the  great  leader  and  lawgiver, 
the  founder  of  the  nation,  the  man  of  the  court  and 
the  camp,  losing  his  patience  at  the  clamor  of  the  mul- 
titude; David,  the  shepherd  king,  the  victorious  gen- 
eral, the  transcendent  poet  of  unsurpassed  lyric  strains, 
greedily  snatching  his  neighbor's  ewe  lamb ;  Peter,  the 
impulsive,  the  spokesman  of  the  twelve,  cowering,  ly- 
ing, and  swearing  before  the  accusing  word  of  the  lit- 
tle maid,  and  yet  the  biographies  of  these  men  are  but 
enhanced  in  value  for  the  student  because  of  the  pas- 
sion for  righteousness  which  has  set  over  against  their 
transcendent  virtues  the  darkest  vices. 

It  has  been  said  that  if  only  two  books  remained 
from  the  world's  literature,  the  Bible  and  Shakespeare, 
tliese  wotild  be  sufficient  for  the  education  of  the  race; 
in  like  manner  we  might  say  that  if  the  biographical 
literattire  of  the  world  were  destroyed  except  the  biog- 
raphies of  the  Bible,  there  would  remain  an  abundance 
for  the  instruction  of  the  world  and  the  inspiration  of 
mankind  to  every  noble  endeavor. 

55 


1 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


What  shall  we  saj  of  the  genius,  the  vision,  the  bold- 
ness, the  power  of  expression  of  that  representative  of 
the  prophetic  period,  Isaiah,  or  the  Deutero-Isaiah  of 
the  exile?  How  shall  we  portray  the  profound  scholar, 
traveler,  pioneer,  organizer,  and  writer,  the  apostle  to 
the  Gentiles,  or  that  son  of  thunder,  transformed  by 
the  touch  of  Christ  into  the  apostle  of  love,  so  as  to 
show^  their  worth  to  the  student?  And  if  language  fail 
us  in  speaking  of  these,  what  may  we  hope  to  say  of 
him,  ''the  highest  of  the  high,  the  mightiest  of  the 
mighty,'  the  one  man  of  all  the  race,  the  "strong  Son 
of  God?" 

But  we  pass  from  biography  to  law.  Back  of  Black- 
stone  and  Kent  and  Justinian  and  all  the  rest,  em- 
bedded in  the  Bible,  the  source  of  Christian  thought, 
like  granite  strata,  the  mountain's  strength,  lie  the 
beginnings  of  all  law  w^ritten  on  tables  of  stone,  amid 
Sinai's  awful  thunderings.  Built  on  this  stern  expres- 
sion of  law,  ''Thou  shalt  not,"  are  to  be  found  the  ten- 
derer precepts  and  commands,  and,  covering  all,  like 
the  green  verdure  of  the  mountains,  is  love  sweeter 
than  life,  stronger  than  death,  and  vaster  than  the 
mighty  ocean's  breadth  and  depth  and  flow,  the  essence 
of  the  heart  of  God. 

Ethics 

The  builder  of  ethical  systems  need  go  no  further. 

56 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


The  heights  have  been  reached  and  the  depths  sounded 
in  the  life  and  teachings  of  Christ.  Our  problem  is 
but  to  interpret  him  in  the  terms  and  life  of  our  own 
day. 

Literary  Form 

Do  you  look  for  poetic  thought  and  expression? 
Then  listen  to  Moses  and  his  inspired  sister,  Miriam, 
as  they  stand  on  the  brink  of  the  sea  in  which  their 
enemies  are  swallowed  up  while  the  hosts  of  Israel 
join  in  the  song,  ''Jehovah  is  my  strength  and  song, 
and  he  is  become  my  salvation.  This  is  my  God,  and  I 
will  praise  him,  my  father's  God,  and  T  will  exalt  him." 

Hear  the  glad  prayer  of  Hannah : 

"My  heart  exulteth  in  Jehovah; 
My  horn  is  exalted  in  Jehovah; 
My  mouth  is  enlarged  over  mine  enemies; 
Because  I  rejoice  in  thy  salvation." 

Turn  to  the  song  book- of  the  post-exile  period,  catch 
the  strains  of  that  old  hymn,  ''The  Lord  is  my  Shep^ 
herd,  I  shall  not  want."  or  of  that  nature  poem,  "The 
heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament 
showeth  his  handiwork." 

Hear  the  psalm  of  praise:  ''Bless  the  Lord,  O  my 
soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me  bless  his  holy  name." 

Turn  to  that  beautiful  idyl,  Euth,  a  prose  poem,  deal- 
ing with  the  most  beautiful  development  of  a  primitive 
life. 

For  a  profound  study  of  the  problem  of  evil,  with  its 

57 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  3IANIJAL 


resultant  suffering,  the  epic  drama  of  Job  is  unsur- 
passed. It  has  been  called  the  greatest  drama  of  ail 
literature. 

For  variety  in  literary  forms  the  Bible  is  supreme.. 
The  wisdom  literature,  including  Proverbs  and  Eccles^ 
iastes,  is  unique.   Nothing  of  the  kind  is  found  in  any' 
other  literature. 

If  we  would  find  men  consumed  with  a  passion  for 
righteousness,  disappointed  with  the  evil  of  their  own 
times,  yet  full  of  contagious  enthusiasm  as  they  look 
to  the  coming  of  the  future  King  and  servant  of  the 
Lord,  read  the  prophets. 

For  the  pattern  of  the  Perfect  Man,  read  the  memoirs 
written  by  his  closest  friends  and  see  how  they  agree 
with  Pilate,  "I  find  no  fault  in  him.'^ 

For  the  early  record  of  the  greatest  movement  that 
has  ever  touched  the  world  we  must  go  to  the  Acts 
and  the  letters  of  the  apostles. 

Summary 

Then,  to  sum  up  some  of  the  facts  that  constitute  the 
Bible  the  greatest  textbook,  it  is  the  best  introduction 
to  history,  the  finest  portrait  gallery,  the  foundation 
of  all  codes  of  law,  a  book  of  lyric  and  dramatic  poe-  i 
try,  unique  in  its  wisdom  literature,  rich  in  prophetic 
zeal  for  righteousness  and  devotion  to  a  larger  hope. 
It  contains  the  memoirs  of  the  only  Perfect  Man,  the 
early  history  of  the  greatest  of  all  world  movements, 
the  conquest  of  the  world  for  Christ. 

58 


SPIRITUAL     R  E  SO URC  E  S     MAX  UAL 


Proofs  of  Its  Greatness  as  an  Educator 

Great  Leaders 

The  Jewish  people  are  a  living  moniimeut  to  the  great 
value  of  the  Old  Testament  as  an  educator  and  a  de- 
veloper of  a  race.  Scattered  throughout  the  world  bv 
their  victorious  conq^uerors,  they  absolutely  refused  to 
be  assimilated  and  have  remained  a  thorn  in  the  flesh 
and  an  object  of  jealousy  and  hatred  to  every  people 
among  whom  they  have  lived,  and  yet,  in  spite  of  this, 
Jewish  traders  and  bankers,  Jewish  politicians  and 
statesmen,  Jewish  teachers  and  writers  have  from  the 
first  to  the  last  dominated  every  civilized  country  un- 
der the  sun.  Whether  it  had  been  Disraeli  at  the  helm 
of  the  English  state,  the  Rothchilds  deciding  the  des- 
tinies of  Europe  from  the  boards  of  finance,  Lord 
Cromer  bringing  order  out  of  chaos  in  Egypt,  or  an 
Edersheim  writing  the  most  illuminating  life  of  Christ, 
or  a  Pulitzer  inaugurating  a  new  era  in  modern  jour- 
nalism, it  has  been  Jewish  vitality  produced  by  the 
adherence  to  the  life  and  morals  of  the  Old  Testament 
that  has  rendered  him  invincible  in  leadership.  Out 
of  five  preachers  selected  from  the  greatest  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  as  the  subjects  for  Sunday  evening  ad- 
dresses, I  found,  after  the  selection  had  been  made, 
that  two  of  them  were  of  Jewish  descent,  Hugh  Price 
Hughes  and  Cardinal  Xewman,  and  that  their  Jewish 
characteristics  were  predominant.  The  outstanding 
marvel  of  the  political  world  to-day  is  the  continued 

59 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


control  of  millions  of  Russians  by  a  small  group  of 
Jewish  leaders  heading  the  Soviet  government.  But 
the  most  signal  instance  of  the  sustaining  vitality  of 
the  race  is  the  Jewish  colony  in  Kaifengf u,  China.  For 
two  thousand  years  this  little  group  of  Jews,  without 
communication  with  the  outside  world,  resisted  ab- 
sorption by  the  Chinese,  and  the  one  hundred  and 
forty  that  remained  retained  intact  the  rolls  of  the 
law  of  Moses. 

Literary  Influence 

Another  object  lesson  constantly  proclaiming  the 
power  of  the  Bible  as  an  educator  is  the  atmosphere 
that  pervades  the  literature,  ancient  and  modern,  of 
the  countries  in  which  the  Bible  has  been  known.  It 
is  simply  impossible  to  escape  it.  The  Septuagint,  the 
Greek  translation  of  the  Old  Testament,  made  at  Alex- 
andria, in  Egypt,  two  centuries  before  the  coming  of 
Christ,  had  sown  the  seed  of  monotheism  and  prepared 
the  way  for  Christ  wherever  the  Greek  language  had 
carried  its  treasures  of  literature  and  art. 

The  Greek  Mold 

The  Greeks  carried  the  expression  of  thought  to  a 
liigher  point  of  perfection  than  any  nation  of  ancient 
and  possibly  of  modern  times.  Their  language  became 
the  mold  into  which  Christian  thought  was  poured. 
The  New  Testament  was  written  in  Greek.  The  man 
who  wrote  the  largest  part,  Luke,  was  a  Greek;  Paul, 

60 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


who  wrote  the  next  largest  part,  w^as  a  Grecian  Jew; 
and  John  spent  thirty  years  around  the  ^gean  Sea 
under  the  Greek  influence  and  became  more  Grecian- 
ized  than  either  Luke  or  Paul.  To  understand  the 
Bible  in  the  original  has  through  the  ages  brought  men 
into  contact  wdth  Greek  learning  and  thus  added  to 
the  literary  stimulus  of  the  Bible  itself  that  of  contact 
with  the  most  cultured  people  of  ancient  times. 

Versions  of  the  Bible 

The  necessity  of  giving  every  people  the  gospel  in 
their  own  vernacular  has  multiplied  the  preaching  of 
tongues  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  until  in  every  land 
and  every  clime  may  be  read  by  all  the  races  of  any 
numerical  importance  whatever  the  words  of  Christ. 

The  first  great  version  was  into  the  language  of  the 
Syrians,  in  the  second  century,  and  Abb6  Martin,  a 
French  Roman  Catholic,  says:  "To  this  hour  it  re 
mains  the  fact  that  the  Syriac  language  is  the  liturgi- 
cal language  of  Christian  people  who  dwell  in  Syria, 
in  the  Lebanon,  around  Damascus,  Mesopotamia,  Hin- 
dustan, Persia,  and  India,  the  lands  over  which  these 
Churches  have  spread  their  influence  extend  from  the 
roots  of  Mt.  Taurus  on  the  west  to  the  frontier  of  China 
and  of  India  on  the  east.  Rev.  Canon  Edmonds,  of 
Exeter  Cathedral,  gave  the  following  incident  to  illus- 
trate how  thoroughly  a  knowledge  of  the  Bible  had  be- 
come current  among  the  common  people  of  Syria  at  a 
very  early  date.  "As  Ephraim,  a  Christian  writer,  was 

61 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


entering  the  city  of  Edessa  a  number  of  women  were 
engaged  in  washing  linen  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
which  flows  by  the  place,  and  as  one  of  them  looked  at 
him  more  intently  than  he  thought  becoming,  he  re- 
buked her,  saying:  "Be  modest,  woman,  and  look  upoi 
the  ground/'  "It  is  quite  right,"  she  answered,  "foi 
men  to  look  upon  the  ground,  for  out  of  it  they  wer( 
taken;  for  the  same  reason,  I  may  surely  look  at  thee,' 
for  woman  was  taken  out  of  man.''  This  led  Ephraim 
to  remark :  "If  the  women  here  are  so  wise  w^hat  must 
the  men  be?"  :| 

Latin  Version 

The  translation  of  the  Bible  into  Latin  by  the  schol- 
arly Jerome  in  the  little  town  of  Bethlehem  gave  to 
the  Church  which  represents  the  genius  of  the  RomaiL 
people  and  is  the  largest,  numerically,  of  all  Christiai 
communions,  that  version  of  the  Scripture  which  for  i 
thousand  years  was  the  Bible  of  all  Christendom  am 
remains  the  exclusive  text  of  that  particular  Church. 

Bible  Translations  Leading  to  Written  Languages 

The  desire  to  give  to  every  people  in  the  world  the 
Bible  in  their  own  tongue  has,  in  many  notable  in- 
stances, led  to  an  invention  of  an  alphabet  and  written 
language.  We  hear  much  these  days  of  the  outrages 
inflicted  on  the  Armenians.  These  people  are  Chris- 
tians because  in  the  early  centuries  Miesrob  made  for 
them  a  written  language,  actually  constructing  an  al- 

62 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


phabet  for  the  purpose,  in  order  that  he  might  give 
them  a  translation  of  the  Bible.  The  same  is  true  of 
the  Gothic  translation.  Ulphilas,  the  missionary  to 
these  people,  found  them  without  books  or  written  lan- 
guage ;  he  gave  them  an  alphabet,  translated  the  Bible, 
and  gave  them  a  literature  which  is  the  mother  of  all 
the  literature  of  Germany,  Scandinavia,  England,  and 
America.  It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note  that  the  oldest 
book  of  the  Teutonic  language,  from  which  have  sprung 
all  the  languages  of  northern  Europe  and  America,  is 
the  Bible  of  Ulphilas.  So,  too,  the  first  Russian  book 
was  a  Bible.  A  written  language  was  given  them  a 
thousand  years  ago  by  two  missionaries,  Cyril  and 
Methodius,  from  Constantinople,  and  whatever  of 
written  literature  the  Russians  have,  at  the  fountain 
head  of  it  is  the  Russian  Bible. 

Pure  English 

We  have  noted  what  a  wellspring  of  pure  and  simple 
English  is  the  King  James  version  of  our  own  Bible, 
which  had  for  its  forerunner  the  translation  made  by 
Wickliffe  two  centuries  before.  During  the  two  hun- 
dred years  "The  English  language,"  says  Canon  Ed- 
monds, ''gained  steadily  in  depth  and  dignity  because 
of  the  depth  and  dignity  of  the  thought  which  had  to 
be  expressed." 

It  is  interesting  to  note  at  the  time  when  Shake- 
speare began  to  utilize  this  language  of  the  common 
people,  practically  created  by  the  Bible,  that  Bacon 

63 


I 


SPIRITUAL 


RESOURCES 


MANUAL 


was  constantly  quoting  the  Scripture  in  Latin  and  had 
his  books  translated  into  Latin  that  they  might  be  per- 
manent. So  much  for  the  shortsightedness  of  mere 
human  scholarship.  So  much  for  the  influence  of  the 
Bible  on  the  English  language.  It  is  still  more  marked- 
ly true  of  the  German  that  it  is  the  product  of  Bible 
translation.  When  Martin  Luther  broke  with  Eome, 
he  labored  to  give  the  people  the  Scriptures  in  their 
own  tongue.  This  version  fixed  their  language  to  the 
present  day. 

Modern  Versions 

It  was  William  Carey,  the  organizer  of  missions,  who 
gave  to  India  the  Bible  and  made  secure  the  develop- 
ment on  modern  lines  of  India's  three  hundred  millions 
of  degraded  subjects.  It  was  Morrison  who  gave  to 
China  the  grammar  and  dictionary  of  her  language  and 
the  Bible  and  opened  the  gateway  for  the  intellectual 
quickening  that  invariably  follows  the  introduction  of 
the  Word  of  God. 

There  is  not  a  country  on  the  globe  that  is  not  being 
sown  by  the  great  Bible  agencies  with  the  Word  of 
God  in  the  language  of  the  people.  In  1800  it  could  be 
read  in  only  forty  languages,  to-day  in  hundreds  of 
languages  and  dialects. 

A  Big  School 

The  Bible  keeps  a  large  school  and  one  that  is  daily 
growing.    Christianity  is  a  teaching  religion,  and  the 

64 


SPIRirr  A  L     RESOURCE  S     J/  A  N  UAL 


four  hundred  million  Christians  in  the  world  receive 
weekly  more  or  less  instruction  from  the  Word  of  God. 
Thirty  million  children  are  under  systematic  instruc- 
tion in  Protestant  Sunday  schools  in  addition  to  the 
devoted  students  whose  daily  companion  is  the  sacred 
Word.  So  that  the  Bible  is  not  only  potentially,  but 
actually,  the  greatest  educator  of  the  race. 

Why  Is  the  Bible  an  Effective  Educator? 

Allow  me  in  closing  to  mention  some  characteristics 
of  the  Bible  tliat  render  it  so  effective  as  an  edticator. 

Huljjects  of  Universal  Interest 

First,  it  deals  with  those  themes  that  have  engaged 
the  attention  of  the  greatest  men  of  all  ages.  They  find 
their  solution  in  the  Bible.  The  origin  of  life  given  in 
the  creative  act  of  an  uncreated  being  of  infinite  power ; 
sin,  with  all  its  train  of  ills,  as  a  result  of  an  evil 
choice  by  a  free  moral  agent;  suffering  as  a  result  of 
sin  and  a  necessary  discipline :  death  is  but  the  en- 
trance to  a  more  glorious  life,  the  longings  of  immor- 
tality are  satisfied  by  a  luminous  after  life;  God  is  set 
forth  as  the  loving  Father  of  the  race. 

It  is  only  the  books  that  touch  upon  these  supreme 
things  that  can  hold  the  attention  of  mankind  through 
the  centuries.  Homer  has  held  the  generations  as  un- 
der a  magic  spell  by  creating  a  world  of  gods  and  men, 
of  seas  and  lands ;  Shakespeare  has  created  human  na- 
ture itself,  with  all  its  problems :  Dante  and  Milton, 
5  65 


1 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  3IANUA1 


the  other  two  Avorthy  to  walk  with  the  two  first  named 
created  conceptions  of  hell  and  heaven  that  have  en 
chained  the  popular  imagination  until  it  has  not  beei 
able  to  escape.  The  themes  of  these  four  have  been  als< 
the  themes  of  the  Bible. 

■  i 

The  Ch^eatest  of  All  Teachers 

In  the  second  place,  the  Bible  contains  the  life  and 
words  of  Jesus  Christ,  supremest  of  all  teachers.  H 
presents,  instead  of  mechanical  rules,  the  great  underly 
ing  principles  of  conduct.   Instead  of  exact  definitionj 
he  gives  concrete  instances.   Who  can  read  the  parah 
of  the  good  Samaritan  and  ever  after  be  in  any  doul 
as  to  who  is  his  neighbor?   What  could  be  simpler  ( 
more  illuminating  as  to  God's  attitude  toward  the  t 
pentant  sinner  than  the  story  of  the  prodigal  son?  ^ 
other  teacher  ever  succeeded  in  impressing  the  popula 
mind  as  has  Jesus  the  Christ. 

It  Bids  Us  Hope 

In  the  third  place,  the  Bible  is  full  of  optimistic  en- 
thusiasm for  common,  everyday  humanity  and  abounds 
in  glorious  hope  for  the  future.  Victor  Hugo  says  th{ 
the  first  step  in  the  amelioration  of  any  people  is  1 
give  them  hope.  The  Bible  bids  us  hope.  It  may  be 
that  with  J ob  we  sit  in  the  ash  heap,  scraping  ourselves 
with  broken  bits  of  crockery,  but  with  him  also  we  maj 
exclaim:  '^I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  whom  I 
^haU  see  for  myself  and  mine  eyes  shall  behold."  Oi 

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SPIRITUAL     BESOURCES     21  AN  UAL 


with  David,  guilty  and  wretched,  we  may  sing :  '^I  cried 
unto  the  Lord  and  he  heard  my  cry,  he  took  me  up  out 
of  the  horrible  pit  and  put  my  feet  on  a  rock  and  put 
a  new^  song  in  my  mouth."  And  from  that  Son  of  David 
we  may  hear  the  greatest  saying  of  the  Bible,  "Come 
unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I 
will  give  you  rest" ;  or,  listening  again  when  our  hearts 
are  disquieted,  we  may  hear  him  say:  "Let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled,  ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  me. 
In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions.  If  it  were 
not  so,  1  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place 
for  you,  that  w^here  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also." 

Let  me  emphasize  the  transcendent  value  of  the  daily 
use  of  this  great  Textbook  by  quoting  the  following 
appeal  by  President  Wilson  in  his  address  at  the  Cen- 
tennial of  the  American  Bible  Society :  "I  have  a  very 
simple  thing  to  ask  of  you.  I  ask  of  every  man  and 
woman  in  this  audience  that  from  this  night  on  they 
will  realize  that  part  of  the  destiny  of  America  lies  in 
their  dnily  perusal  of  this  great  Book  of  revelation — 
that  if  they  would  see  America  free  and  pure,  they  wdll 
make  their  own  spirits  free  and  pure  by  this  baptism  of 
the  Holy  Scripture.'' 

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SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAl 


TOPIC  FOR  JANUARY  9:  "THE  PRAYER  THAI 
TEACHES  HOW  TO  PRAY" 

(Matt.  vi.  9-13.) 

BY  FITZGERALD  S.  PARKER 

''The  family  altar  is  the  greatest  school  of  religior 
in  the  Avorld." 

Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven,  ■ 
Thy  name  be  hallowed, 
Thy  kingdom  come, 

Thy  will  be  done  . ; 

On  earth  as  in  heaven; 

Give  us  to-day  our  bread  for  instant  need ; 

Forgive  us  our  debts  as  we  also  have  forgiven  oui 
debtors ;  and 

Lead  us  not  into  temptation;  but 

Deliver  us  from  the  evil ; 
For  thine  is 

The  kingdom  and 

The  power  and 

The  glory 
For  ever  and  ever.  Amen. 

This  is  not,  as  commonly  called,  ''The  Lord's 
Prayer";  it  is  the  prayer  given  by  our  Lord  for  all 
disciples.  He  did  not  address  God  as  "Our  Father,'' 
but  as  "Father,'-  "My  Father,"  "Kdghteous  Father.'' 

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SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES     21  AN  UAL 


Petitions  for  forgiveness  and  deliverance  from  evil  did 
not  become  him,  the  Deliverer,  who  himself  also  for- 
gave sins. 

The  disciples'  prayer  defines  the  scope  of  all  praver 
that  a  Christian  may  make.  Its  social  address,  ''Our 
Father,'-  if  rightly  used,  makes  it  impossible  to  pray 
selfishly,  for  the  fellowship  of  the  children  of  God  is 
implied  in  the  collective  term.  AThile  none  but  those 
who  seek  God  in  penitence,  obedience,  and  faith  can 
truly  call  upon  him  as  Father,  none  of  these  can  call 
upon  him  in  a  narrow,  exclusive  sense.  God — his 
name,  his  kingdom,  and  his  will — is  the  first  and  domi- 
nant interest  of  the  Christian.  Other  things  are  added 
for  him  who  seeks  first  the  kingdom  and  righteousness 
of  God.  He  may  pray  for  bread,  for  forgiveness,  and 
for  leading  and  deliverance  from  the  evil.  Each 
prayer  admits  of  being  expanded  to  cover  the  endless 
wants  of  the  disciple ;  all  together  these  petitions  com- 
prehend the  relation  of  the  child  of  God  to  his  Father 
in  heaven. 

Petition  is  the  staple  of  prayer.  This  is  to  the  con- 
trary of  a  rationalizing  view  of  prayer  that  would 
limit  it  narrowly  to  ascription  and  subjective  pro- 
cesses. By  precept  and  example  Jesus  taught  his  dis- 
ciples to  "ask."  But  thanksgiving  and  praise  are  not 
absent  from  the  prayer,  at  least  by  implication.  The 
recognition  of  God  as  the  source  from  whence  comes 
our  daily  supply  of  both  grace  and  bread  implies  the 

69 


PI  RITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


upspringing  of  gratitude  to  him  the  Giver.  The  dox- 
ology,  while  certainly  not  in  the  form  of  prayer  as 
given  by  Jesus,  is  so  appropriate  and  so  congruous 
with  it  that  it  may  properly  be  retained  for  our  devo- 
tional guidance.  The  instinct  of  the  Church  has  re- 
tained it  against  all  critical  judgment  because  in  it 
is  an  inspired  recognition  of  Jesus.  It  reiterates  the 
ideas  already  expressed  in  petition;  the  kingdom  of 
God,  of  which  Jesus  speaks  as  "my  kingdom/'  identi- 
fies the  reign  of  God  with  the  gospel;  the  ascription  of 
power  reminds  us  of  Jesus's  parting  words,  "All  pow- 
er is  given  to  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth/'  thus  crown- 
ing him  in  the  realm  of  God;  his  glory  is  the  glory 
of  God,  for  which  he  prayed,  "Father,  glorify  thy  Son, 
that  thy  Son  may  also  glorify  thee." 

Why  did  Jesus  give  a  form  of  prayer?  Sometimes 
we  have  not  words  or  thoughts  for  prayer.  It  is  then 
that  the  prayer  that  Jesus  gave  enables  the  distressed 
disciples  to  tap  the  springs  of  the  spiritual  life.  Lest 
our  prayers  become  selfish,  therefore  an  ofi'ense  to  God, 
we  are  given  this  prayer,  the  sincere  use  of  which  will 
enlarge  our  hearts  with  the  sympathies  of  Christ.  Lest 
our  prayers  become  narrow  or  false,  we  are  given  this 
complete  prayer.  Koman  Catholic  Christians  err  by 
the  wrong  direction  of  prayer  to  Mary.  "The  supersti- 
tious err  by  giving  an  evil  content  to  prayer,  as  when 
a  man  praj^ed  for  skill  to  slay  his  enemy."  The  liturgi- 
cal use  of  the  disciples'  prayer  on  all  occasions  of  the 

70 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


coming  together  of  God's  children  has  a  uniting  pow- 
er; it  makes  them  one  as  the  Father  and  the  Son  are 
one.  Finally,  it  is  the  test  of  life:  it  demands  that  he 
who  would  be  forgiven  try  his  own  spirit,  whether  he 
have  the  forgiving  spirit  of  Jesus,  who  prayed:  "Fa- 
ther, forgive  them ;  for  they  know  not  what  they  do." 

The  First  Group  of  Petitions — For  God 

At  almost  every  turn  of  life  and  interest  we  tend  to 
put  God  in  the  subordinate  place — everywhere,  save  as 
a  matter  of  speculation.  Do  we  go  to  church?  We  are 
wondering  what  good,  entertainment,  or  advantage  we 
shall  get,  not  what  we  may  be  able  to  do  for  the  glory 
of  God.  The  fault  is  the  more  common  and  obvious 
when  it  comes  to  secular  affairs.  This  prayer  leads 
us  into  the  attitude  of  the  Old  Testament  saint  who 
wrote:  "I  have  set  the  Lord  always  before  my  face; 
because  he  is  at  my  right  hand  I  shall  not  be  moved." 

1.  We  pray  that  the  name  of  God  may  be  held  sacred. 
Profanity  and  flippancy  in  almost  equal  degree  are 
incompatible  with  this  petition.  There  is  a  sure  and 
swift  deterioration  of  character  when  reverence  wanes. 
It  is  but  a  shallow  nature  that  can  lightly  take  the 
name  of  God.  The  alarming  spread  of  the  use  of  an 
expletive  that  cannot  be  dissociated  from  God's  moral 
government  must  be  arrested  if  we  are  to  escape  be- 
coming a  nation  of  infidels.  The  use  of  profanit}^, 
especially  among  women,  has  enormously  increased  in 

71 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


recent  years,  even  among  Church  people.  "Thou  shalt 
not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God  in  vain"  still 
stands  under  the  aegis  of  Sinai.  But  let  us  not  forget 
the  positive  element :  reverence  in  outward  deportment 
and  word  as  well  as  in  heart,  especially  in  church,  are 
implied. 

2.  We  pray  that  the  kingdom  of  God  may  come.  This 
petition  drives  him  who  uses  it  to  a  study  of  Jesus's 
great  interest,  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  directs  his 
sympathies  and  his  energies  to  the  realization  of  the 
great  purpose  of  Jesus  and  the  great  ideal  of  Jesus. 
No  consistent  Christian  may  dare  construct  a  scale  of 
values  in  which  the  kingdom  of  God  and  its  advantages 
are  not  the  tests.  Even  our  own  deepest  desires,  some- 
times for  the  life  of  a  loved  one,  must  be  subordinated 
to  the  larger  good  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  A  hard  con- 
dition of  prayer,  but  one  that  assures  the  grace  to  ful- 
fill it. 

3.  Prayer  that  the  will  of  God  may  be  done  carries 
our  thought  back  to  Gethsemane,  where  in  an  agony 
One  prayed:  '^Nevertheless,  not  my  will,  but  thine  be 
done."  To  every  devout  soul  come  experiences  like  his ; 
it  is  then  that  the  words  of  this  prayer,  reenforced  by 
his  own  prayer,  become  our  stay  and  our  secret  of  ul- 
timate triumph.  The  one  limitation  to  the  full  work- 
ing of  the  power  of  God  in  us  and  through  us  is  our 
failure  in  all  its  fullness  to  pray  this  prayer. 

72 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES     M  AN  UAL 


The  Second  Group  of  Petitions — For  Ourselves 

Due  care  for  material  things  is  by  no  means  incom- 
patible with,  the  interests  of  the  spiritual  life,  as  we 
may  infer  from  the  association  in  this  second  group 
of  petitions  of  prayers  for  bread  and  spiritual  grace. 
In  the  Christian's  life  there  are  not  two  separate  and 
distinct  registers,  the  one  for  the  body,  the  other  for 
the  spirit.  God  himself  takes  account  of  our  complex 
needs  and  within  the  larger  devotion  of  our  life  that 
is  involved  in  seeking  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness  there  is  a  consecration  of  all  that  be- 
longs to  the  Christian's  life  here  upon  earth.  Every- 
thing that  may  be  admitted  into  a  Christian's  life  is 
properly  a  subject  of  prayer. 

1.  Of  food  and  raiment  Jesus  said:  ^'Your  Father 
knoweth  that  ye  have  need  of  all  these  things."  Why, 
then,  pray  for  them?  Because  thereby  our  reception 
and  use  of  the  gifts  of  God  are  made  matters  of  reli- 
gious faith.  The  toil  by  which  we  earn  and  the  frugali- 
ty by  which  we  save  and  the  enjoyment  of  the  good 
things  of  this  world  are  all  associated  with  our  rela- 
tionship as  children  of  God  and  become  matters  of 
spiritual  development.  Asceticism  is  utterly  unchris- 
tian and  deprives  the  disciple  of  Jesus  of  the  rich  op- 
portunity of  worshiping  through  his  daily  toil  and  the 
enjoyment  of  its  products.  The  prayer  for  bread  is 
designed  to  be  inclusive  of  all  those  things  that  enter 
into  the  enrichment  of  our  life  in  this  world.    It  is 

73 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


designed  equally  to  exclude  all  ostentatious  display  of 
wealth,  all  self-indulgent  luxury,  all  miserly  hoarding. 
It  is  of  especial  comfort  to  the  disciple  in  view  of  the 
vicissitudes  of  life.  If  Jesus  bids  us  take  no  anxious 
thought,  he  has  so  ordered  the  conditions  of  life  that 
we  may  dispense  ourselves  from  worry  and  anxiety. 
Indeed,  it  is  unchristian  to  allow  ourselves  to  become 
anxious  or  to  worry.  Efficiency  and  faith  suffer  by 
consequence  of  these  evil  tempers.  They  are  an  indict- 
ment of  our  Heavenly  Father  and  cast  doubt  upon  his 
goodness. 

2.  If  food  lies  at  the  base  of  our  material  life,  for- 
giveness is  the  foundation  of  our  spiritual  life.  For- 
giveness is  at  the  portal  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Ac- 
cused and  unpardoned  are  not  within.  Yet  it  is  prob- 
able that  as  long  as  we  live  we  shall  have  need  to  go 
afresh  to  the  source  of  grace  to  find  forgiveness.  Our 
own  views  of  sin  will  become  more  refined;  our  sensi- 
bilities to  evil  will  become  more  acute  as  we  advance 
in  the  Christian  way;  we  shall,  therefore,  be  ever  find- 
ing need  of  forgiveness,  though  we  be  ever  advancing 
in  the  way  of  life.  An  equally  important  aspect  of  this 
petition  is  that  we  make  it  upon  the  basis  of  our  hav- 
ing forgiven.  The  reading  of  the  authorized  version 
is  certainly  wrong.  The  best  texts  give  the  aorist 
(aphckamen) ,  "we  have  forgiven."  No  more  searching 
test  of  our  sincerity  is  conceivable;  and  yet  could  it 
be  less  exacting?   If  w^e  do  not  ourselves  forgive,  clear- 

74 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES     21 A  NUAL 


Ij  we  do  not  believe  in  the  theory  of  forgiveness  as  a 
moral  rule.  If  we  do  not  believe  in  forgiveness,  what 
consistency  is  there  in  our  asking  forgiveness  for  our- 
selves? With  the  advancing  light  of  the  Christian, 
this  petition  comes  to  mean  a  desire  to  possess  the 
Christ  spirit  of  forgiveness  rather  than  to  secure  even 
the  renewal  of  the  gracious  assurance  of  our  own  rec- 
onciliation. Social  forgiveness  is  also  involved.  The 
Christian  forgives  in  the  widest  possible  sense  of  the 
extension  of  charity  to  the  lost,  deprived,  and  depraved 
of  society. 

3.  We  do  well  to  think  of  the  petition,  ''Lead  us  not 
into  temptation,"  in  connection  with  James's  noble 
rebuke  of  those  who  would  have  imputed  their  wrong- 
doing to  God  as  the  author  of  a  dreadful  fatalism :  "Let 
no  man  say  when  he  is  tempted,  I  am  tempted  of  God ; 
for  God  cannot  be  tempted  with  evil,  neither  tempteth 
he  any  man;  but  every  man  is  tempted  when  he  is 
drawn  away  of  his  own  lust  and  enticed."  Tempta- 
tion, however  accounted  for,  is  a  fact  of  our  moral  his- 
tory. There  are  temptations  that  are  necessary  to 
prove  men  and  the  triumph  over  which  is  their  estab- 
lishment in  holy  virtue.  Such  is  the  teaching  of  the 
narrative  of  the  garden  of  Eden.  There  are  other 
temptations  that  belong  to  our  natures,  weakened  by 
past  yielding,  polluted  by  past  sinning,  perverted  by 
base  imaginings.  Let  us  be  thankful  that  we  are  en- 
couraged to  pray  against  the  recurrence  of  these  temp- 

75 


PI  RITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


tations  of  our  own  making,  by  which  we  shall  surely 
be  overthrown  unless  we  find  divine  help.  ''Teach  me 
thy  way,  O  Lord,  and  lead  me  in  a  plain  path  because 
of  mine  enemies/' 

4.  The  overcoming  of  temptation  is  the  way  of  moral 
strengthening.  Deliverance  from  the  arch  tempter  j 
the  Christian's  salvation.  The  disciples'  prayer  would 
certainly  be  lacking  if  it  did  not  justify  the  Christian's 
longing  to  be  delivered  from  sin  by  providing  a  peti- 
tion for  his  entire  conformity  with  Christ.  "Deliver 
us  from  evil,"  is  a  petition  that  can  mean  no  less  than 
the  constant  advance  of  the  Christian  toward  and  his 
ultimate  attainment  of  entire  sanctification.  Let  us  I 
use  our  prayer  with  this  expectation  and  interpret  it 
by  Paul's  prayer :  ''The  very  God  of  peace  sanctify  you 
wholly;  and  I  pray  God  your  whole  spirit,  soul,  and 
body  be  preserved  blameless  unto  the  coming  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

The  Doxology 

To  ascribe  praise  to  God  is  the  complement  of  mak- 
ing petitions  to  him.  To  give  thanks  is  to  conform 
with  the  courtesies  of  the  spiritual  life.  The  emotion 
of  reverence  has  its  joyous  phases,  and  thus  arises 
praises;  the  attitude  of  trust  has  its  triumphant  ex- 
periences, and  thus  thanksgiving  comes  to  expression. 
The  ascriptions  of  this  doxology  are  all  included  in 
the  petitions  that  have  preceded.  "Let  everything  that 
hath  breath  praise  the  Lord." 

76 


SPIRT  TV  A  L     RESOURCES     J/  A  X  U  A  L 


TOPIC  FOR  JANUARY  16:  "THE  CHURCH  IN  IN- 
TERCESSION  AND  PREPARATION  FOR 
SERVICE^' 

Tlie  germ  of  every  plan  of  any  value  to  modern 
Church  activities  is  to  he  found  in  the  practice  of  Jesus 
and  the  apostles.  They  did  not  have  time  nor  the 
occasion,  nor  did  they  have  a  sufficient  force  of  T\'ork- 
ers,  to  subdivide  their  activities  into  departments  as 
has  been  done  with  such  efl'ectiveness  in  our  day.  But 
vvdiatever  presented  itself  to  be  done,  they  did  it. 

The  Sunday  school  had  its  origin  in  the  recognition 
Jesus  gave  the  children  ;  the  Epworth  League  can  find 
justification  in  the  training  of  young  men  by  the  more 
experienced  leaders;  the  Woman's  Missionary  Society 
grew  naturally  out  of  the  support  given  Jesus  by  the 
women  and  the  efi'ectiveness  of  the  women  v^'hose  value 
Paul  recognized ;  the  Layman's  Movement  finds  its 
counterpart  in  the  committee  of  seven  appointed  by 
tiie  apostles. 

The  prayer  meeting  has  its  prototype  in  the  various 
meetings  held  for  prayer.  It  has  had  a  continuous  ex- 
istence for  twenty  centuries.  More  great  religious 
movements  liave  been  born  in  prayer  meetings  than  in 
all  other  places  combined.  The  framework  of  Meth- 
odism received  heart  and  spirit  in  a  prayer  meeting 
when  John  Wesley  felt  liis  heart  strangely  warmed. 

Most  of  the  great  revivals  in  America  have  grown 
out  of  prayer  meetings,  and  every  Holy  Ghost  revival 
^  '  77 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


manifests  its  spiritual  power  in  the  prayer  meetings 
that  always  go  hand  in  hand  with  the  advancing  spir- 
itual forces.  The  altar  service  and  the  after  meeting 
in  the  inquiry  room  are  forms  of  the.  prayer  meeting. 
Indifference  to  the  meeting  where  prayer  and  testi- 
mony prevail  is  a  sure  sign  of  coldness  on  the  part  of 
the  individual. 

A  Third  Sermon 

Is  there  not  an  explanation  for  the  indifference  to 
the  midweek  service  in  the  fact  that  so  frequently  it 
is  not  a  prayer  and  testimony  meeting,  but  the  inflic- 
tion of  the  third  sermon  of  the  week  on  the  loyal  and 
patient  few  who  come  ?  Far  he  it  from  us  to  deride  or 
discount  the  value  of  such  a  prayer  meeting  as  de- 
scribed. It  has  immense  value,  and  if  there  were  noth- 
ing better,  we  would  be  justified  in  retaining  it. 

But  such  a  service  is  very  different  from  one  with 
good  music,  a  spiritual  atmosphere,  and  wholesome  so- 
cial fellowship  under  the  guidance  of  a  consecrated 
pastor.  It  is  his  joy  to  bring  out  the  thought  and  ex- 
perience of  those  present  and  patiently  bear  with  the 
crudeness  of  expression  in  prayer  and  testimony,  know- 
ing that  sources  of  spiritual  power  are  being  devel- 
oped in  his  friends,  from  which  will  come  forth  in  after 
years  the  mighty  tides  that  shall  sweep  through  the 
earth  filling  the  pools  and  making  the  deserts  to  flower 
and  to  bear  fruitage. 

78 


SPIRIT  r  A  L     RE  S  OURC  E  S     21  A  X  U  A  L 


Some  Bible  Prayer  Meetings 

Let  me  suggest  the  value  of  a  restucly  of  some  prayer 
meetings  given  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  as  they  are 
coupled  with  the  promise  of  Jesus  to  be  at  the  meeting. 
To  a  thoughtful  and  receptive  mind  the  topics  them- 
selves grow  into  the  outline  of  a  sermon : 

Two  People  and  a  Prayer  Meeting.  (Matt,  xviii. 
19,  20.) 

An  Upper  Eoom  Prayer  Meeting.    (Acts  i.  12-14.) 

A  Cottage  Prayer  Meeting.    (Acts  xii.  5,  11,  12.) 

A  Eiverside  Prayer  Meeting.    (Acts  xvi.  18-16.) 

A  Prayer  Meeting  in  a  Jail :  A  Sequel  to  the  Eiver- 
side Prayer  Meeting.    (Acts  xvi.  25-31. ) 

Good-P]y  Prayer  Meetings.  (Acts  xx.  17,  36-38,  xxi. 
3-6.) 

A  Quorum 

The  value  of  a  covenant  of  prayer  never  had  a  clear- 
er statement  than  Jesus  gave  when  he  declared:  "If 
two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth  as  touching  anything 
that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  the 
Father  who  is  in  heaven."  Two  is  always  a  prayer 
meeting  quorum,  and  Jesus  comes  to  the  meeting. 

An  Upper  Room 

The  second  topic  is  redolent  with  the  "upper  room" 
experiences  of  the  prayer  meeting  protracted  ten  days 
and  crowned  with  fire,  glorified  with  the  power  of 
tongues,  and  swept  by  ecstatic  joy  and  blessing  to  thou- 

79 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


sands  who  came  to  the  new-found  Christ.  Of  all  the 
characteristics  that  shall  belong  to  the  ideal  prayer 
meeting  that  is  to  be,  this  is  the  most  essential:  the 
presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by  which  the  faces  of  men 
shall  shine  and  their  hearts  glow  and  the  ends  of  the 
earth  press  into  the  kingdom. 

A  Cattage 

The  third  topic  breathes  of  the  home  pervaded  by 
the  spirit  of  consecration  and  ever  open  to  the  coming 
of  those  who  would  join  with  their  prayers  the  social 
fellowship  that  combines  so  much  of  helpful  recreation 
with  the  inspiration  to  larger  service.  It  suggests  the 
vast  possibilities  of  the  vineclad  cottage  remote  from 
the  places  of  stated  worship  whei^e  dwells  possibly  the 
shut-in  saint  or  the  poor  and  needy  who  crave  the  spir- 
itual ministration  which  is  too  often  withheld. 

A  Riverside 

The  fourth  topic  paints  a  picture  on  the  shady  bank 
of  a  gently  flowing  river,  under  the  bending  blue  sky, 
where  the  bird  song  blends  with  psalms  of  praise  of 
those  who,  in  a  strange  land,  are  seeking  the  solace  of 
the  social  service  of  prayer.  How  refreshing  to  the 
faithful  missionaries  was  this  contact,  after  the  cold- 
ness of  the  heathen  city  where  they  had  sought  in  vain 
for  the  spiritual  fellowship  they  so  much  desired! 
What  a  privilege  to  introduce  Jesus  into  the  home  of 
such  a  woman  as  Lydia  I 

80 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


In  a  Jail 

The  fifth  topic  sounds  a  more  tragic  note,  and  the 
music  shifts  to  a  minor  key.  The  path  of  duty  runs 
counter  to  the  selfish  plans  of  men.  The  price  of  serv- 
ice rendered  to  those  who  are  slaves  of  sin  and  bound 
by  evil  men,  leads  to  prison  and  to  a  hill  upon  which 
stands  a  cross.  But  the  glorious  finale  of  the  prayer 
meeting  in  the  darkness  of  the  Phillippian  jail  relieves 
the  humiliation  and  brings  forgetfulness  of  lacerated 
backs.  "Sirs,  what  must  I  do  to  be  saved?"  was  sweet- 
er music  to  Paul  and  Silas  than  the  grandest  strains 
of  the  swelling  anthem  or  the  undertones  of  the  soul- 
sweeping  oratorio. 

That  old  jail  at  Phillippi  shades  off  into  a  back- 
ground of  prison  cells,  thousands  of  them,  where  God's 
brave  heroes  have  languished  but  kept  alive  their  faith 
through  the  breath  of  prayer.  In  another  direction  i 
shades  ofl:'  into  prison  cells  filled  with  the  vicious  and 
outcasts,  too  dangerous  to  be  allowed  their  liberty,  but 
who  can  be  made  into  new  creatures  in  Christ  Jesus 
if  only  God's  people  will  keep  in  mind  the  power  of  the 
message  and  be  faithful  in  meeting  for  prayer  inside 
the  prison  walls. 

Good-By 

The  sixth  topic  gives  the  note  of  sadness  accompany- 
ing separation  and  good-by.    The  beloved  pastor  has 
been  called  to  another  field  of  service.    The  faithful 
6  81 


SPIBITUAL     RESOURCES     31  AN  UAL 


officials  follow  him,  and,  after  some  words  of  farewell, 
they  kneel,  and  the  pastor  bears  them  up  to  the  God  of 
all  grace.  When  the  voice  of  their  prayers  is  hnshed 
and  the  tears  all  unbidden  start,  they  fold  him  in  their 
arms  and  with  kisses  bid  him  good-by  as  he  boards  the 
ship  that  shall  carry  him  to  where  sore  trials  will  beset 
him,  where  his  personal  liberty  shall  be  a  thing  of  the 
past,  but  where  his  liberty  in  Christ  shall  bear  him  up 
into  the  realm  of  the  joy  unspeakable. 

Summing  up  the  lessons  from  these,  we  find  that  a 
prayer  meeting  needs  only  two  like-minded  people 
to  be  a  legal  quorum  in  the  realm  of  spiritual  power. 
It  is  especially  appropriate  and  effective  in  the  home.  | 
The  greatest  prayer  meeting  on  record  was  in  an  upper  j 
room.  The  open  air,  a  jail,  or  a  beach  are  equally 
suited  and  adapted  to  prayer  meeting  purposes. 

The  saints  meet  and  pray,  and  Pentecost  is  the  re- 
sult. Two  missionaries  join  a  few  people  by  the  river, 
a  half  crazy  girl  is  converted,  and  the  outcome  is  a 
prayer  meeting  in  a  disreputable  jail  and  the  jailer  | 
converted.  Those  who  say  good-by  are  strengthened  in  j 
the  farewell  prayer  meeting  and  go  joyfully  to  what- 
ever awaits  them. 

A  Hilltop  Prayer  Meeting 

•'Forty  years  ago,  at  four  o'clock  one  morning.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Jewett  and  three  native  Christians  met  on  a 
hilltop  in  Ongole  to  give  themselves  to  prayer.  The 

82 


^.PIRITTJAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


field  had  been  verj  unresponsive,  and  they  had  no  per- 
manent buildings  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  From  that 
eminence  they  could  see  villages  containing  many  thou- 
sands of  natives,  none  of  whom  were  Christians,  and 
they  prayed  that  God  would  give  them  the  souls  of 
those  multitudes  and  a  home  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 

'^Only  forty  years  ago!  But  a  few  months  ago  a 
thousand  members  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society 
met  at  Ongole  for  a  convention  and  climbed  the  hill  to 
pray  and  praise  on  the  very  spot  w^here  the  five  workers 
had  poured  out  their  hearts  in  prayer  forty  years  be- 
fore. What  thrilling  evidence  they  had  that  prayer 
releases  the  energies  of  God!  They  could  see  villages 
where  now  live  25,000  Christians,  and  down  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill  is  a  group  of  missionaries'  homes,  a  college, 
a  boarding  school,  a  hospital,  an  industrial  school,  a 
church  seating  one  thousand,  and  another  seating  fif- 
teen hundred.  In  the  whole  mission  the  successors  of 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Jewett  have  gathered  a  native  community 
of  200,000." 

!  Have  no  Method  but  Prayer 

"Many  hundreds  of  Chinese  have  come  to  know 
Christ  in  the  last  few  months  through  the  ministry  of 
Ding  Li  ^^lei,  of  Shantung.  Fires  have  been  kindled 
everywhere  he  has  spoken.  At  Paotingfu,  that  home  of 
martyrs  during  the  Boxer  uprising,  in  a  recent  meeting 
470  men  decided  to  follow  Christ.  At  the  Union  Chris- 
tian College,  at  Weihsien,  he  began  by  organizing  little 

83 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


groups  of  students  for  prayer.  In  the  next  few  days 
116  of  the  strongest  men  in  the  college  volunteered  for 
Christian  service.  When  asked  as  to  his  method,  Ding 
replied;  'I  have  no  method  but  prayer.'  " 

Prayer  Wins  in  Most  Decisive  Hour  in  Japan 

^'In  the  early  days  of  the  Student  Movement  in  Ja- 
pan there  was  strong  opposition  on  the  part  of  some 
Japanese  leaders  to  putting  the  evangelical  test  in  the 
constitution  of  the  Japanese  movement.  Mr.  John  K. 
Mott,  the  general  secretary  of  the  World's  Student 
Christian  Federation,  was  there.  He  held  out  strongly 
for  the  test  during  three  days  of  debate.  They  were 
days  of  incessant  prayer  that  God  might  interpose  in 
behalf  of  the  spiritual  principle  involved.  At  the  close 
of  the  debate  the  Japanese  Christians  voted  almost 
unanimously  for  the  evangelical  basis.  One  of  the 
veteran  missionaries  who  was  present  says:  'That  was 
the  turning  point  in  the  history  of  missions  in  Japan.'  " 

The  Sultan  of  Turkey  Overruled  hy  the  Sultan  of 
Heaven 

''Many  times  our  hearts  have  been  thrilled  as  we  have 
read  of  that  spiritual  crisis  in  Turkey,  when  in  1851 
Mohammed  the  Sultan  issued  a  decree  ordering  all  mis- 
sionaries out  of  the  empire.  Dr.  Hamlin  said  to  Good- 
ell,  his  fellow  missionary:  'Goodell,  our  lifework  is  a 
failure  at  the  very  start,  for  both  British  and  American 
consuls  say  the  edict  of  expulsion  must  prevail,  and 

84 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MAXUAL 


we  must  go  at  once.'  Goodell  replied:  'Hamlin,  the 
Sultan  of  heaven  can  change  this ;  let  us  appeal  to  him 
in  prajer/ 

"They  opened  the  edict,  spread  it  before  God,  and 
began  to  pray.  Midnight  came,  and  they  prayed  on. 
The  day  broke  while  the  two  men  still  remained  in 
prayer  that  the  calamity  might  be  averted.  The  edict 
was  never  enforced.  The  destiny  of  multitudes  was 
powerfully  influenced  by  that  night  of  prayer.  The 
two  who  met  in  his  name  found  a  third  added  to  their 
little  company.   The  Sultan  of  heaven  was  there." 

TOPIC  FOR  JANUARY  23:  "POWER  OF  MEN 
WHO  PRAYED" 

BY  JOHN  S.  CHADWICK 

''The  family  altar  is  the  greatest  school  of  religion 
in  the  world." 

Texts :  Proverbs  xv.  28,  "He  heareth  the  prayer  of  the 
righteous";  James  y.  IG,  "The  effectual  fervent  prayer 
of  the  righteous  man  availeth  much." 

In  his  Word  God  speaks  to  us  through  the  experi- 
ences of  his  saints ;  this  appears  to  be  his  preferred 
method  of  giving  truth.  If  we  would  come  to  an  un- 
derstanding of  the  doctrines  of  his  V/ord,  we  must 
study  the  record  of  the  struggles,  the  victories,  and  the 
defeats  of  those  whose  life  stories  are  there  written. 
And  in  that  Book  is  no  doctrine  of  vital  concern  to  hu- 

85 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES     iM  A  N  U  A  L 


manity  that  is  not  interpreted  in  human  experience. 
He  gives  us  no  truth  that  does  not  answer  some  call  of 
human  need,  and  out  of  the  experiences  of  men  who 
have  lived  the  truth  he  speaks  to  universal  humanity. 
It  is  a  language  all  who  will  can  understand. 

If  we  would  know  what  is  God's  estimate  of  the  value 
of  prayer,  what  its  place  among  the  great  forces  of 
his  kingdom,  note  how  often  he  speaks  to  us  through 
the  prayer  experiences  of  his  saints.  Of  the  men  used 
by  him  for  the  bringing  of  a  better  day,  there  were 
those  of  many  types.  In  gifts,  in  temperament,  in 
equipment  for  their  work,  they  differed  much.  But  all 
were  men  who  knew  how  to  pray,  men  who,  out  of  the 
deep  experiences  of  life,  the  experiences  of  real  prayer, 
went  forward  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  tasks  God 
gave  them  to  do. 

The  secret  of  the  power  of  these  men  of  prayer,  of 
every  man  who  really  prays,  is  that  God  is  '^not  merely 
an  idea  held  in  the  mind,  but  a  Presence  recognized  in 
the  life."  Fosdick,  in  ''The  Meaning  of  Prayer,"  says  : 
''In  an  exclamation  that  came  from  the  heart  of  person- 
al religion,  the  Psalmist  cried :  'O  God,  thou  art  my 
God.'  To  stand  afar  off  and  say  'O  God,'  is  neither 
dii¥icult  nor  searching.  We  do  it  when  we  give  intel- 
lectual assent  to  a  creed  that  calls  God  'Infinite  in  be- 
ing and  perfection;  almighty,  most  wise,  most  holy, 
most  free,  most  absolute;  working  all  things  according 
to  the  counsel  of  his  own  immutable  and  most  righteous 

86 


!    SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES     31  AN  UAL 


will.'  In  such  a  way  to  say  'O  God'  is  easy,  but  it  is 
anjnward  and  searching  matter  to  say,  God,  thou 
art  my  God.'  The  first  is  theology,  the  second  is  reli- 
gion; the  first  involves  only  opinion,  the  second  in- 
volves vital  experience;  the  first  can  be  reached  by 
thought,  the  second  must  be  reached  by  prayer;  the 
first  leaves  God  afar  off,  the  second  alone  makes  him 
real." 

The  experiences  of  these  men  who  really  came  to 
know  God  have  been  left  on  record  that  humanity  might 
know  the  way  into  powder  and  victory,  that  w^e  might 
know  that  no  man  comes  into  the  full  measure  of  the 
strength  that  is  his  right  and  his  duty  except  God  be 
to  him  a  Presence.  The  work  of  the  kingdom  has  gone 
forward  on  the  faith  of  those  who  really  prayed,  of 
those  who,  in  the  deep  experiences  of  life,  come  both 
to  know  God  and,  in  the  knowing,  to  lay  hold  on  the 
power  of  God  for  victory. 

When  Jehovah  would  choose  a  man  for  the  begin- 
nings of  a  nation  that  should  be  his  witness  among  the 
peoples  of  earth,  he  came  to  Abram  who  was  a  man  of 
prayer.  Back  of  that  first  recorded  appearance  of  the 
Lord  unto  his  servant  (Gen.  xii.)  w^as  a  life  of  prayer 
on  Abram's  part.  We  cannot  otherwise  explain  how 
the  two  were  on  terms  so  intimate  that  there  was  the 
easy  approach  of  the  one  to  the  other,  or  how,  without 
questionings,  Abram  accepted  the  word  of  the  Lord 
and  made  that  word  his  life  purpose.    God  has  for 

87 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  AIANUAL 


every  life  a  plan  thai  will,  if  accepted,  bring  that  life 
into  its  best.  Those  content  to  go  halting  along  the 
way,  or  willing  to  give  over  the  fight  because  they  be- 
lieve that  victory  is  beyond  their  reach,  have  not  made 
it  their  habit  to  talk  with  God  concerning  life's  expe- 
riences. They  have  missed  the  mark  of  God's  high 
purpose  for  them  because  they  have  not  been  willing  to 
take  him  into  partnership  in  their  plans,  their  pur- 
poses, their  work.  Give  over  your  life  to  God,  in 
prayer  seek  always  to  know  what  is  his  will,  and,  in 
the  doing  of  that  will,  you  come  into  the  best  life  can 
give. 

Jacob  (Gen.  xxxii.  24-30)  came  into  a  new  experi- 
ence of  power,  into  a  new  life,  as  he  wrestled  with 
Jehovah.  The  wrestling  was  not  because  Jehovah  was 
unwilling  to  give  what  Jacob  needed,  but  because  of 
what  was  in  Jacob's  heart.  The  victory  was  in  the 
moment  of  the  man's  surrender  and  as  he  came  to  a 
realization  of  his  helplessness  in  Jehovah's  hands. 
Our  wrestlings  in  prayer,  as  in  Jacob's  case,  are  not 
because  we  call  upon  a  God  who  is  unwilling  to  give, 
but  because  of  what  is  unsurrendered  in  our  own  lives. 
The  full  measure  of  God's  power  comes  only  into  sur- 
rendered lives,  into  the  lives  of  those  who,  having  made 
their  plea  for  God's  help,  have  prayed  through  to 
victory. 

When  God  would  lay  hold  upon  a  man  to  whom  he 
could  entrust  the  power  of  leadership  of  a  nation,  he 

88 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES     31  A  X  U  A  L 


chose  Moses,  who,  during  the  rears  of  his  training,  had 
learned  how  to  pray.  He  had  been  trained  in  rever- 
ence for  Jehovah's  name  and  law  and  in  knowledge  of 
the  divine  will.  Xo  man  is  qualified  for  leadership  in 
nation,  in  community,  in  Church,  who  has  not  learned 
to  pray,  who  does  not  accept  his  place  of  leadership  as 
a  commission  from  God,  and  who  is  conscious  always 
of  his  dependence  upon  God  if  he  leads  aright.  The  na- 
tion is  in  real  peril  when  its  destinies  are  committed 
to  men  who  do  not  carry  their  own  and  their  people's 
problems  to  God  in  prayer.  The  home  is  in  peril  if 
tliose  who  are  its  head  have  not  learned  how  to  carry 
their  weighty  responsibilities,  their  problems,  their 
burdens,  in  prayer  to  God.  God's  call  to-day  is  for 
men  and  women  who  can  be  leaders,  men  and  women 
who  are  strong  enough  to  type  the  life  of  nation,  of 
community,  of  Church,  of  home.  They  must  be  men 
and  women  who  pray,  who  know  what  is  the  Lord's 
will  and,  knowing,  have  power  to  do  that  will. 

Elijah  prayed,  and  God  gave  into  his  keeping  the 
forces  of  nature.  Isaiah  prayed,  and  to  his  servant 
God  revealed  himself  in  the  majesty  of  his  person  and, 
with  that  revelation,  commissioned  Isaiah  for  a  great 
work.  Daniel  prayed,  and  God  gave  unto  him  wisdom, 
understanding,  power,  and  the  responsibilities  of 
leadership. 

The  Master  brought  into  the  circle  of  his  fellowship 
a  few  weak  men,  taught  them  how  to  pray,  and  com- 

.89 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


missioned  them  for  a  world  task.  His  Church  entered 
upon  its  new  life,  its  new  experience  of  power,  as  men 
and  women  came  out  of  those  days  of  waiting  in 
prayer.  Jesus  touched  Saul  of  Tarsus,  and  the  man 
who  had  been  typed  by  the  narrow  creed  of  the  Phari- 
see held  the  thought  of  the  early  Church  to  a  world 
mission  and  to  world  service.  If  we  would  know 
whence  came  his  power,  study  the  prayers  of  Paul  as 
he  leaves  them  on  record  in  the  Word. 

In  men  who  pray  is  the  world's  hope  in  this  hour  of 
pressing  need.  We  must  rebuild  the  world  out  of  the 
wrecks  of  recent  years.  It  is  a  task  such  as  no  other 
generation  has  been  given  to  do,  and  the  Church  of 
to-day  faces  such  a  responsibility  as  has  not  come  to 
the  Church  of  any  other  age.  We  are  not  equal  to  that 
task  except  in  a  sense  more  real  than  the  Church  now 
knows  God  comes  into  our  lives.  The  world's  needs 
call  for  men  who  can  pray,  men  who  have  power  with 
God  and  with  their  fellow  men,  who  can  interpret  to 
their  age  God's  message,  and  who  have  power  to  do 
God's  will.  A  praying  Church  is  equal  to  the  great 
task  of  to-day. 

A  Man  Who  Prayed 

'^You  may  have  heard  of  that  wonderful  Chinese 
Christian,  Ding  Li  Mei,  famous  as  an  evangelist  and 
even  more  as  a  man  whose  attractive  character  and  j 
conduct  constitute  a  convincing  evidence  of  the  life  of  ' 
Christ  in  man.    In  recent  years  he  has  influenced  the 

90 


SPIBITUAL     RESOURCES     21  A  X  U  A  L 


largest  number  of  students  to  devote  tlieir  lives  to  the 
Christian  ministry  ever  secured  by  one  man  during  the 
history  of  the  Church  in  Asia.  Those  who  know  him 
best  will  tell  you  that  the  dynamic  secret  of  his  life  is 
the  central  place  which  he  gives  to  intercession.  The 
last  time  I  saw  him  he  had  recorded  in  a  book  the 
names  of  many  hundreds  of  individual  Christians  from 
all  parts  of  the  world  for  whom  he  prayed  day  by  day. 
In  traveling  with  him  from  Shanghai  to  Darien  on  our 
way  to  the  Conference  in  Mukden,  I  observed  that  he 
spent  hours  alone,  either  walking  on  the  deck  or  seated 
with  the  Book  open  in  his  hand.  Mr.  Brockman  says 
that  the  KStudent  Volunteer  Movement  in  China  is  the 
product  of  this  man's  prayers." 

The  Family  Altar 

''That  man  is  the  most  immortal  who  has  done  the 
most  and  the  best  praying.  They  are  God's  heroes, 
God's  saints,  God's  servants,  God's  vicegerents.  A  man 
can  pray  better  because  of  the  prayers  of  the  past,  the 
man  of  many  and  acceptable  prayers  has  done  the 
truest  and  greatest  service  to  the  incoming  generation. 
The  prayers  of  God's  saints  strengthen  the  unborn 
generation  against  the  desolating  waves  of  sin  and 
evil.  Woe  to  the  generation  of  sons  who  find  their 
censers  empty  of  the  rich  incense  of  prayer,  whose  fa- 
thers have  been  too  busy  or  too  unbelieving  to  pray, 
and  perils  inexpressible  and  consequences  untold  are 

91 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


tbeir  unhappy  heritage.  Fortunate  are  they  whose  fa- 
thers and  mothers  have  left  them  a  wealthy  patrimony 
of  prayer. 

^'The  prayers  of  God's  saints  are  the  capital  stock 
in  heaven  by  which  Christ  carries  on  his  great  work 
upon  earth.  The  great  throes  and  mighty  convulsions 
on  earth  are  the  results  of  these  prayers.  Earth  is 
changed,  revolutionized,  angels  move  on  more  powerful, 
more  rapid  wing,  and  God's  policy  is  shaped  as  the 
prayers  are  more  numerous,  more  efficient." — Bounds. 

A  Praying  Leadership 

^^More  prayer  will  not  come  as  a  matter  of  course. 
Nothing  but  a  specific  effort  from  a  praying  leadership 
will  avail.  None  but  praying  leaders  can  have  praying 
followers.  Praying  apostles  will  beget  praying  saints. 
A  praying  pulpit  Avill  beget  praying  pews.  We  do 
greatly  need  somebody  who  can  set  the  saints  to  this 
business  of  praying.  We  are  a  generation  of  nonpray- 
ing  saints.  Nonpraying  saints  are  a  beggarly  gang 
of  saints  who  have  neither  the  ardor  nor  the  beauty 
nor  the  power  of  saints.  Who  will  restore  this  branch  ? 
The  greatest  will  be  he  of  reformers  and  apostles  who 
can  set  the  Church  to  praying." — Bounds. 

''Many  illustrations  might  be  given.  One  will  suffice. 
A  meeting  was  in  progress  in  a  great  university.  The 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  victory  seemed  insurmountable. 
In  the  face  of  these  difficulties,  requiring  the  exercise 

92 


SPIRITUAL 


RESOURCE.'^ 


JJAXTJAL 


of  more  tlian  human  power,  a  group  of  workers,  instead 
of  remaining  in  the  meeting,  assembled  in  a  retired 
place  and  united  in  praver  that  the  obstacles  might  be 
removed.  Before  many  hours  the  walls  of  a  modern 
Jericho  fell  down.  Battalions  and  batteries  and  battle- 
ships have  no  power  to  remove  barriers  like  these.  In- 
tercession is  mightier  than  them  all.  The  very  fact 
that  the  Church  faces  almost  overwhelming  obstacles 
in  our  day  is  therefore  a  ringing  call  to  intercession.-' 


Intercession  Opens  Doors 

''When  Samuel  J.  Mills  and  his  associates  began  to 
pray  for  the  way  to  open  for  the  carrying  of  the  gospel 
to  all  the  world,  the  doors  of  three  continents  were 
closed.  Tlie  Mohammedan  world  vras  like  a  great  door 
over  which  was  written:  'Xo  admittance.-  The  Bud- 
dhist world,  the  Confucian  world,  the  Latin  world,  were 
largely  inaccessible.  How  were  these  doors  opened? 
Men  of  faith  acknowledged  That  prayer  had  more  to  do 
with  opening  tliem  than  any  other  human  force  what- 
ever. When  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  unites  in  in- 
tercession before  the  closed  doors  of  the  world  and  is 
prepared  to  cooperate  vrith  God  in  meeting  the  needs 
behind  these  doors,  the  last  one  will  swing  on  its 
hinges  for  the  entrc^nce  of  our  victorious  Lord." 

93 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


Intercession  Calls  Forth  Workers  to  Enter  Open 
Doors 

"The  Student  Volunteer  Movement  is  an  inspiring 
illustration  of  the  power  of  prayer  to  thrust  forth 
workers.  In  connection  with  the  Kansas  City  Con- 
vention, in  1914,  more  money  was  spent  to  enlist  prayer 
than  was  used  to  advertise  the  speakers.  The  number 
of  volunteers  who  have  gone  to  the  field  has  increased 
steadily  from  the  beginning,  and  there  has  always  been 
a  recognition  of  the  fact  that  more  fundamental  to  the 
life  of  the  movement  than  organizing  campaigns  to 
secure  workers  is  the  multiplying  of  the  number  of 
intercessors." 

Intercession  Releases  Money  for  the  Spread  of  the 
Kingdom 

"It  is  a  growing  conviction  that  the  financial  prob- 
lem involved  in  the  evangelization  of  the  world  is  not 
fundamentally  a  financial  problem  at  all,  but  rather  a 
spiritual  problem. 

"An  emergency  arose  in  a  field  in  China.  A  gift  of 
a  thousand  dollars  was  imperatively  needed  to  meet  the 
emergency.  A  cablegram  was  sent  by  the  leader  in 
China  to  the  mission  board  concerned,  with  the  state 
ment  that  prayer  was  being  made  that  the  money 
might  be  found  at  once  and  the  need  met.  The  cable- 
gram was  on  the  secretary's  desk  when  he  went  to  his 

94 


^PIRITVAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


office  in  the  morning.  He  gave  himself  to  prayer  over 
the  cablegram,  that  God  might  put  it  in  the  mind  of 
some  steward  of  his  to  give  the  money.  He  then  went 
about  his  work  with  a  quietness  in  his  heart,  expecting 
that  the  money  would  be  found. 

"In  the  afternoon  a  plainly  clad  old  man  entered  the 
office  and  asked  for  the  secretary.  His  appearance  at 
first  made  the  clerk  who  received  him  suspicious,  but 
after  consultation  with  the  secretary  the  man  was  ad- 
mitted. He  asked  if  there  were  any  special  emergency 
on  any  of  the  fields  that  some  money  would  meet.  For 
answer  the  cablegram  was  put  into  his  hands.  As  he 
read  it  his  eyes  filled  with  tears.  Controlling  his  emo- 
tion with  difficulty,  he  said  that  he  and  his  wife  had 
been  deeply  moved  while  engaged  in  family  prayers 
that  morning,  and  the  conviction  had  come  that  they 
ought  to  do  something  more  generous  for  the  Lord's 
work  than  hitherto.  That  conviction  had  led  the  man 
to  call  at  the  mission  board  office.  Putting  his  hand 
into  the  outside  pocket  of  a  very  much  work-worn  over- 
coat, he  drew  out  a  roll  of  bills  and  handed  it  to  the 
secretary.  With  a  great  light  of  joy  on  his  face,  the 
old  man  quietly  withdrew.  When  the  bills  were 
counted  the  sum  was  found  to  be  exactly  one  thousand 
dollars.  Intercession  in  China,  more  intercession  be- 
hind a  secretary's  desk,  still  more  prayer  in  the  quiet 
of  the  family,  God  putting  thoughts  into  receptive 
minds  and  generous  impulses  into  loyal  hearts — and 

95 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


a  great  need  was  met  by  releasing  money  before  the 
day  closed." 

Mr.  Moody's  New  Power 

''It  is  an  oft-told  story,  but  one  which  the  Church 
should  never  forget,  of  how  Mr.  Dwight  L.  Moody  was 
led  out  into  international  service.  While  his  church 
was  in  process  of  construction  after  the  Chicago  fire, 
he  went  over  to  Great  Britain  to  hear  the  leading 
preachers  there  and  to  observe  their  methods  of  work. 
While  in  London  he  was  invited  to  preach  morning  and 
evening  in  one  of  the  large  churches.  The  morning 
service  dragged  heavily,  and  he  regretted  having  prom- 
ised to  speak  at  night,  but  found  on  his  arrival  in  the 
evening  that  the  church  was  crowded.  The  service  be- 
gan much  as  the  morning  service  had  closed,  but  about 
the  middle  of  the  sermon  the  atmosphere  completely 
changed.  At  the  close  of  the  address,  to  the  surprise 
of  the  speaker  and  the  pastor,  when  an  invitation  to 
rise  was  given  to  those  who  wished  to  become  Chris- 
tians, scores  responded.  Thinking  he  had  not  been  un- 
derstood, Mr.  Moody  rei)eated  the  invitation,  making  it 
more  difficult  by  asking  that  all  who  wished  to  become 
Christians  to  go  to  another  room  after  the  regular  serv- 
ice was  dismissed.  The  result  was  the  same.  A  re- 
vival began  which  brought  hundreds  into  the  Christian 
life. 

"Mr.  Moody  afterwards  sought  for  the  cause  of  this 

96 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


unusual  awakening  and  traced  it  to  the  room  of  an  in- 
valid member  of  the  Church,  a  Christian  worker  who 
for  years  had  prayed  that  Mr.  Moody  might  preach  in 
her  church.  On  that  particular  Sunday,  having  heard 
after  the  morning  service  from  her  sister  that  Mr. 
Moody  had  spoken  that  morning,  this  Christian  inter- 
cessor,  refusing  to  eat  her  midday  meal,  gave  herself  to 
prayer  during  the  entire  afternoon.  It  was  the  final 
tug  in  the  long  pull  of  years  of  intercession.  The  an- 
swer came,  not  only  in  great  blessings  to  London,  but 
also  by  lifting  Mr.  Moody  into  a  position  of  interna- 
tional leadership,  made  possible  widening  spheres  of 
influence  and  blessing  throughout  the  world." 

TOPIC  FOR  JANUARY  30:  "SERVING  TABLES" 

I  have  selected  this  incident  recorded  in  Acts  vi.  1-8 
to  show  how  the  early  Church  developed  its  magnificent 
force  of  workers  and  in  order  to  emphasize  what  is  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  do  to-day  to  accomplish  the  same 
purpose. 

Chosen  to  serve  tables,  the  committee  of  seven  soon 
became  so  intensely  interested  in  the  work  of  the  apos- 
tles that  they  found  time  and  the  courage  to  preach  the 
gospel  with  wonderful  results. 

The  Defect  and  the  Remedy 

The  Complaint 

It  seems  that  in  the  daily  ministration  of  the  fund 
set  apart  for  the  needy,  in  some  way  the  widows  of  the 
7  97 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES     M  AN  UAL 


Hellenistic  Jews  were  overlooked,  probably  a  mere 
oversight. 

Here  was  a  defect  in  the  business  which  the  apostles 
were  trying  to  attend  to  in  detail.  When  the  very  nat- 
ural complaint  was  made,  the  apostles  did  not  get  sore 
about  it,  nor  stand  on  their  dignity  and  claim  their 
official  prerogatives  to  do  as  they  pleased,  but  gave 
careful  consideration  and  finally  a  frank  and  courteous 
answer. 

TJie  Response 

Their  wisdom  and  Christian  spirit  is  manifest  in  the 
answer.  This  is  a  mere  matter  of  business,  you  your- 
selves, as  laymen,  are  thoroughly  competent  to  attend 
to  it.  Select,  in  any  way  you  choose,  a  committee  of 
seven — it  will  take  that  many — to  do  the  job.  Let  them 
be  men  of  good  reputation  and  full  of  the  spirit  and 
wisdom,  and  we  will  appoint  them  over  this  business. 
This  will  enable  us  to  give  all  our  time  to  prayer  and 
the  ministry  of  the  Word. 

The  Revived  Church 

The  record  says  distinctly  that  the  whole  multitude 
was  pleased  and  the  seven  selected  were  nominated  and 
appointed.  The  result  of  this  brotherly  and  demo- 
cratic move  and  the  larger  opportunity  of  ministry  af- 
forded the  apostles,  caused  the  Word  of  God  to  in- 
crease, the  disciples  were  multiplied  exceedingly  in  Je- 

98 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES     21  AN  UAL 


rusalem,  and  even  a  number  of  pr-iests  were  converted 
and  joined  the  Church. 

Effect  on  the  Committee 

What  was  the  effect  on  the  men  appointed?  They 
got  busy,  did  the  job,  had  plenty  of  time  left,  saw  the 
apostles  were  too  few  in  number  to  speak  to  all  the 
people,  and  offered  to  do  a  little  personal  work  at  the 
altar.  In  a  short  time  they  were  exhorting  the  people 
with  wonderful  power,  and  two  of  them  have  left  a 
record  that  lights  up  the  way  for  every  other  layman 
who  would  begin  to  do  service  for  Christ  by  ministering 
at  tables. 

God  Looking  for  a  Man 

A  HigJier  Type 

I  am  unusually  interested  in  Stephen  and  Philip  the 
Evangelist,  because  of  the  high  type  of  character,  faith- 
fulness, and  efficiency  they  developed.  From  the  begin- 
ning God  has  been  working  at  the  development  of  high- 
er types  of  men. 

Failures  - 

The  first  effort  in  the  garden  was  a  failure.  The 
devil  won  the  first  inning,  and  our  parents  were  driven 
in  shame  from  the  ideal  conditions  of  the  garden. 
Their  descendants  were  no  better.  One  of  the  boys  was 
a  murderer,  and  the  other,  the  really  religious  one,  the 

99 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


victim.  The  earth  was  populated  with  people  whose 
wickedness  God  could  not  endure.  Just  as  Burhank 
looks  over  ten  thousand  plants  to  find  a  single  one  that 
differs  from  the  others  by  the  least  variation  of  color, 
or  petal,  size  of  stalk,  quality  of  fruit  or  tuber,  so  God 
scanned  the  whole  human  patch  of  plants  and  found 
only  Noah  and  his  family.  The  rest  were  destroyed, 
as  Burbank  destroys  the  other  nine  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  ninety-nine  plants.  But  Noah  had  no  sooner 
landed  from  the  ark  than  he  got  drunk,  shamed  and 
humiliated  himself  and  his  family. 

At  Last  a  Man 

It  was  hundreds  of  years  before  a  single  man  ap- 
peared on  all  the  earth  whom  God  would  accept  to  type 
a  race.  In  Ur  of  the  Ohaldees  Abram  actually  believed 
God,  and  God  accepted  this  as  righteousness  and  pro- 
ceeded to  transplant  Abram  so  that  he  might  be  free 
to  develop  without  the  contaminating  influence  of  his 
kinsfolk. 

The  one  man  grew  into  a  family,  into  tribes,  into  a 
race,  developed  a  nation,  the  best  by  far  the  world  had 
seen;  but  God  was  very  particular,  and  they  must  go 
into  captivity  to  purge  them  of  the  multitude  of  scrub- 
by plants.  It  was  a  new  people  who  returned,  only  a 
remnant,  but  God  prefers  a  remnant,  if  the  type  is 
better. 

100 


^PIRITVAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


The  Perfect  Type 

Lastly,  in  the  fullness  of  his  own  time,  from  this 
remnant,  as  a  plant  coming  out  of  a  dry  ground,  the 
perfect  plant  of  the  human  race  flowered  and  fruited, 
and  through  him  the  whole  world  is  being  typed.  1 
think  God  is  much  more  interested  in  the  growth  of  a 
saint  who  will  type  a  community,  a  nation,  or  a  race 
than  he  is  in  a  multitude  of  scrubby  Christians. 

''Mostly  FooW 

Diogenes,  the  cynic  philosopher,  it  is  said,  went 
about  in  the  daytime  carrying  a  lantern,  and  when 
some  one  asked  him  what  he  was  looking  for,  he  said : 
''A  man."  When  several  of  his  countrymen  came  run- 
ning about  him,  saying  they  were  men,  he  answered: 
"I  am  looking  for  men,  not  pigmies.'^  Thomas  Carlyle, 
the  dyspeptic  philosopher,  was  accustomed  to  say  that 
the  population  of  the  empire  was  so  many  millions, 
mostly  fools.  Jeremiah,  the  prophet  of  tears,  said: 
''Run  to  and  fro  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  and  see  if 
you  can  find  a  man."  The  words  of  David  to  his  son 
Solomon,  who  had  all  wisdom,  were:  "Show  thyself  a 
man." 

The  First  Martyr 

God  found  a  man  in  Stephen,  the  layman  whom  his 
brethren  appointed  to  work  in  the  commissary  depart- 
ment. Burning  with  a  zeal  kindled  by  this  simple  serv- 

101 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


ice  which  he  was  proud  to  clo,  he  became  the  defender 
of  the  faith,  and  we  revere  him  as  the  first  martyr. 
Praying  for  his  enemies,  he  was  granted  a  glimpse  of 
the  opening  heavens  into  which,  he  was  so  soon  to  be 
admitted. 

At  tire  Feet  of  a  Young  Man  Named  Saul 

The  witnesses  laid  their  clothes  at  the  feet  of  a  fiery 
young  persecutor  named  Saul.  Stephen's  victorious 
death  became  to  him  an  appeal  to  higher  things.  If  his 
martyrdom  led  to  the  conversion  of  Saul,  as  we  believe 
it  did,  his  was  the  most  fruitful  death  of  all  mere  hu- 
man beings  that  ever  left  the  haunts  of  men.  He  start- 
ed out  as  a  layman  in  the  commissary  department. 

Philip,  the  Evangelist 

Philip,  another  one  of  the  committee,  soon  overran 
all  ordinary  bounds  of  a  layman's  sphere  and  became 
the  flaming  evangelist,  spreading  fire  in  Samaria  until 
the  work  was  taken  up  by  the  regular  ministers  from 
Jerusalem.  Then  this  intrepid  and  daring  soul  found 
contentment  and  fruitage  as,  in  the  line  of  the  Spirit's 
leading,  he  went  south  to  the  main  road  and  waited  for 
a  crowd.  Only  a  passing  eunuch,  who  gave  him  a  lift, 
was  to  be  seen;  but  Abyssinia,  probably,  through  that 
lift  became  Christian. 

Borne  Life 

What  a  comment  on  the  sincerity  of  the  layman, 

102 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MAXUAL 


Philip,  who  began  in  the  service  department,  is  his 
home  at  Cesarea,  in  which  Panl  and  his  party,  on  liis 
last  visit  to  Jerusalem,  were  entertained  and  the  illu- 
minating statement  that  his  four  unmarried  daughters 
were  prophetesses.  Think  of  it!  Probably  no  sons  to 
enter  the  ministry,  but  the  consecration  of  that  home 
was  so  complete  that,  as  the  father's  ministry  must  be 
continued,  the  devoted  daughters  stepped  into  the 
ranks. 

A  Thousand  Years 

'•A  hundred  years  ago  a  successful  young  physician 
went  home  from  the  deathbed  of  a  little  child  in  Xew 
York  Avith  a  pain  in  his  heart  for  the  millions  of  chil- 
dren in  India,  sick  and  dying  with  no  physician  to  help 
them.  His  wife  promptly  shared  the  purpose  which  be- 
gan to  take  shape  in  his  mind.  But  when  he  told  his 
father  about  it.  that  good  soul  said :  'Xever  V  A  month 
later  the  son  heard  his  father's  tiltimatum :  'The  day 
you  go  to  India  I  disinherit  you  as  my  son."  John 
Scudder  went  to  India  ;  and  not  long  ago  (1918  )  some 
one  made  a  count  of  the  years  he  and  his  children  have 
given  to  India  and  found  that  there  were  a  thousand 
years  of  missionary  service  in  his  loins  when,  over  his 
father's  refusal  and  protests,  he  went  to  India  to  heal 
the  distresses  of  the  poor  in  the  name  of  Jesus."  If 
all  our  homes  were  so  vitally  religious  as  the  homes  of 
Philip,  the  evangelist,  and  John  Scudder,  the  mission- 
ary, the  o.OOn  young  men  and  women  asked  for  life 

103 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


service  by  the  Christian  Education  Movement  would 
swell  to  a  multitude  that  would  embarrass  the  Church 
by  their  clamor  for  employment. 

Ecclesiasticism  vs.  the  Layman 

The  Bihle  in  English 

It  is  difficult,  from  our  viewpoint  to  realize  the  awful 
lengths  to  which  ecclesiasticism  grew  through  the  cen- 
turies and  the  measures  that  were  taken  to  keep  the 
laity  from  participating  in  the  ongoing  of  the  Church. 
Men  like  Wicklift'e,  when  the  people  of  England  had  no 
Bible  in  their  own  language,  longed  to  make  the  Bible 
an  open  book,  and,  under  his  direction,  a  translation 
was  made.  In  order  to  educate  the  masses  of  the  peo- 
ple he  trained  a  number  of  young  men,  who  went  about 
explaining  the  Bible  to  the  people.  These  were  lay 
preachers. 

Smuggling  Bibles 

A  hundred  years  after  Wickliffe,  when  the  manu- 
script copies  of  his  English  Bible  were  probably  mostly 
destroyed,  Tindell  endeavored  to  complete  the  work  of 
Wickliffe  by  translating  the  New  Testament  and  get- 
ting it  to  the  common  people.  The  printing  press  had 
come  to  his  aid,  and  seven  thousand  copies  were  smug- 
gled— think  of  it — smuggled  into  England.  The  eccle- 
siastics were  baffled.  It  was  impossible  to  gather  up 
all  the  copies  scattered  broadcast  by  this  indomitable 
one-man  Bible  society,  but  they  could  gather  him,  and 

104 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


they  did.  He  paid  the  price  of  the  service  he  rendered. 
They  strangled  him  to  death.  No  humiliation  Tvas  too 
great  for  his  poor  body,  but  he  won  for  us  the  Bible  in 
our  own  tongue,  out  of  which  has  grown  the  democracy 
of  the  English-speaking  people. 

Wesley's  Lay  Preachers 

The  most  remarkable  use  made  of  the  lay  preacher  is 
to  be  found  in  the  origin  of  Methodism.  Wesley's  good 
common  sense  overcame  his  inherited  ecclesiastical  pre- 
judice against  any  irregularity  and  recognized  the 
providential  value  of  the  laymen  who  were  so  success- 
ful in  winning  the  people  to  Christ.  As  in  the  ap- 
pointment of  the  seven,  the  multitudes  were  pleased 
and  the  number  of  Methodists  increased. 

The  Widening  Field 

The  One-Man  Church 

The  gradually  widening  field  of  the  lay  force  of  the 
Church  is  admirably  traced  in  Dorchester's  'Troblem 
of  Religious  Progress."  Less  than  two  hundred  years 
ago  the  only  Church  service  in  Protestantism  was  the 
sermon.  They  were  great  sermons.  They  were  long, 
sometimes ;  for  the  average  listener,  they  were  dry.  It 
was  said  of  one  of  the  Scotch  preachers  of  that  day 
that,  on  meeting  a  member  of  the  Church,  he  said: 
Sandy,  you  should  have  heard  me  preach  yesterday. 
I  preached  two  hours  and  a  half."  "You  must  have 
been  exhausted,"  Sandy  answered.  ''I  was,"  replied  the 

105 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


minister,  ''but  you  should  have  seen  the  people."  It 
was  said  of  another  of  these  preachers  that  "he  could 
go  down  deeper,  stay  longer,  and  come  up  drier  than 
any  other  minister  in  the  country." 

Lay  Agencies 

Of  all  the  agencies  that,  up  to  date,  have  furnished  a 
field  for  the  lay  worker  the  Sunday  school  employs  the 
largest  number;  yet  the  Sunday  school  is  only  a  child 
of  yesterday.  It  was  not  until  the  first  quarter  of  the 
nineteenth  century  that  the  value  of  the  physician  and 
the  teacher  were  recognized  in  missionary  operations. 
The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  a  purely  lay 
organization,  was  not  thought  of  until  1844. 

The  Woman's  Missionary  Society,  the  influence  of 
which  has  done  more  to  liberate  woman  and  give  her 
the  place  she  deserves  than  any  agency  in  modern 
times,  did  not  come  into  being  until  the  latter  half  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  As  soon  as  a  generation  of 
young  men  and  women  were  trained  at  the  knees  of  this 
new  agency,  the  Young  People's  Societies,  the  Student 
Volunteer  Movement,  the  Student  Christian  Federa- 
tion, and  numberless  philanthropic  organizations 
sprang  into  being,  all  of  these  employing  laymen  and 
women  in  their  executive  agencies. 

The  Layman's  Missionary  Movement  was  born  in  due 
time,  as  the  generation  nurtured  in  the  Sunday  school 
and  trained  in  the  Young  People's  Societies  grew  to 
maturity.   There  is  lacking  now,  as  our  greatest  need, 

106 


SPIRITUAL     R  E  SOUFC  E S     M A  X  UAL 


some  more  definite  plan  of  training  the  rank  and  file  of 
the  Church  for  more  efiScient  service.  Even  the  most 
snccessfnl  pastor  will  admit  that  only  a  small  portion 
of  his  membership  is  effective  in  the  work  of  the 
Church.  Holding  down  a  pew  is  the  job  of  only  a  part 
of  the  membership.  A  comparatively  small  percentage 
pay  to  the  support  of  the  Church,  while  as  for  praying 
in  public,  speaking  in  any  service,  or  doing  personal 
work,  the  number  is  so  small  that  the  pastor  is  tempted 
to  do  all  the  talking,  praying,  pastoral  work,  and  col- 
lecting benevolent  funds  himself. 

Relieved  for  Prayer  and  the  Ministry  of  the  Word 

Firsi  Dutij 

The  development  of  a  spiritually  minded  and  efficient 
force  of  lay  workers  is  the  first,  most  important,  and 
all-embracing  duty  of  the  Church  to-day.  Every  for- 
ward movement  waits  for  the  consecration  of  the  busi- 
ness ability  of  the  laymen.  They  are  needed  to  build 
great  character  factories  for  God,  to  invest  in  life  se- 
curities, to  erect  skyscrapers  for  ihe  realization  of  the 
visions  that  await  them.  Out  from  the  ranks  and  from 
the  families  of  such  a  lay  force  would  come  the  men 
and  women  for  the  task  of  world  evangelization,  the 
means  to  equip  and  supixtrt  them,  and  the  prayer  to 
under  gird  them  with  omnipotent  strength. 

107 


I 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


How? 

Let  Them  Talk 

The  committee  of  seven  laymen  and  their  develop- 
ment furnish  us  the  method  by  which  this  is  to  be 
brought  about.  In  the  first  place,  the  laymen  should  be 
given  a  voice.  Let  them  talk.  They  have  wonderful 
business  ability,  and  they  often  chafe  at  our  bungling 
methods  of  Church  work.  If  they  have  grievances,  they 
are  entitled  to  a  courteous  hearing  and  a  frank  and 
brotherly  answer. 

Give  Them  a  Joh 

In  the  second  place,  put  them  to  work.  Mr.  Moody 
thought  it  was  better  to  put  ten  men  to  work  than  to 
do  the  work  of  ten  men ;  and  he  was  right.  The  Wom- 
an's Missionary  Society  has  been  abused  for  the  meth- 
ods to  which  they  have  had  to  resort  to  raise  money. 
They  knew  that  what  happened  to  that  woman  the 
other  day  would  be  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  fam- 
ilies of  the  missionary  women,  if  they  made  their  hus- 
bands stand  and  deliver  every  time  the  society  called 
for  funds.  They  knew  that  the  divorce  courts  would 
be  kept  busy.  Stingy  husbands  would  not  stand  for 
such  a  program  as  the  progressive  women  were  putting 
on. 

From  Serving  Tables  to  Thrones  of  Potver 

They  started  out  to  get  money  in  any  honorable  way. 
The  advice  of  the  old  woman  to  her  son  John,  when  he 

108 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


started  ont  in  the  world,  "Git  money,  John ;  git  it  hon- 
est if  you  can,  John;  but,  John,  git  money,"  was  not 
their  motto,  but  "Git  money"  was  their  slogan.  Let  it 
be  said  to  their  zeal  and  credit,  that  there  are  literally 
thousands  of  saints  to-day  in  heaven  and  on  earth  who 
started  out  in  their  commissary  department:  rum- 
mage sales,  suppers,  bazaars,  concerts,  and  a  thousand 
and  one  ways  devised  by  their  ingenuity. 

The  result  of  all  this  activity  is  one  of  the  marvels  of 
our  present  day.  The  women  are  a  trained  force.  In 
their  meetings  they  will  read,  talk,  pray,  sing,  in  fact 
do  anything  that  is  desirable  on  the  part  of  real  live 
Christians.  They  are  conducting  study  courses  that 
would  do  credit  to  a  college  classroom.  They  compose 
the  bulk  of  the  teaching  force  in  the  Sunday  schools. 
TJiet/  'began  serving  tables. 

The  Rank  and  File 

How  to  do  for  the  rank  and  file  of  the  Church  mem- 
bership what  the  women  have  done  for  themselves  is 
our  problem.  There  are  pastors  to-day  who  are  spend- 
ing their  energies  in  serving  tables  and  lessening  their 
efficiency  for  lack  of  trained  laymen  to  look  after  these 
business  affairs.  Not  so  many  years  ago  the  charge  was 
an  exception  in  which  the  pastor  was  not  the  pack  horse 
for  benevolent  collections.  Only  a  few  months  ago  in 
the  Advocate,  I  believe.  Dr.  Frank  M.  Thomas  made 
a  strong  plea  for  relief  for  the  pastor  from  the  multi- 

109 


SPIRITUAL 


RESOURCES  MANUAL 


plying  calls  on  his  time  and  energies.  The  apostles^ 
made  the  laymen  do  it. 

Relief— Plus 

Those  early  leaders  realized  that  their  time  should  be- 
given  to  prayer  and  the  ministry  of  the  Word.  These 
two  elements  are  fundamental.  The  pastor  needs  re- 
lief, but  relief  avails  nothing,  if  he  does  not  pray  and 
preach  more  effectively. 

A  Man  of  Prayer 

First  of  all,  the  pastor  should  "advance  on  his  knees. 
"Great  things  for  God  are  done  by  great  prayers."  He 
who  prays  much  studies  much,  loves  much,  works  much, 
does  much  for  God  and  humanity.  Prayer  is  not  an' 
opiate,  but  a  tonic :  it  does  not  lull  to  sleep,  but  arouses 
anew  for  action.  The  lazy  man  does  not,  will  not,  can- 
not pray. 

"To  graduate  in  the  school  of  prayer  is  to  master 
the  whole  course  of  a  religious  life.  The  first  and  last 
stages  of  holy  living  are  crowned  with  praying.  It  is 
a  life  trade.  The  hindrances  to  prayer  are  the  hin- 
drances to  a  holy  life.  The  conditions  of  praying  are 
the  conditions  of  righteousness,  holiness,  and  salvation. 
A  coMler  in  the  trade  of  praying  is  a  hungler  in  the 
trade  of  salvation.''  ^ 

A  Devout  Student  of  the  Book 

The  pastor  must  not  only  be  a  man  of  prayer,  he 
needs  to  be  a  daily  devotional  student  of  the  Word. 

110  \ 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


His  private  reading  must  be  done  so  devotionally  that 
when  he  comes  to  the  altar  of  prajer  erected  in  his 
home  the  very  atmosphere  surrounding  the  family 
shall  be  shot  through  and  through  with  the  spirit  of 
God  and  the  essence  of  prayer.  An  altarless  parsonage 
leads  inevitably  to  a  spiritless  ministry.  A  spirit  of 
devotion  cannot  be  simulated.  The  most  perfect  pump 
is  useless  in  an  empty  well. 

The  Home  a  Mirror 

The  pastor's  family  reflect  to  the  world  the  attitude 
of  the  home  to  the  Church  and  all  things  sacred.  There 
may  be  elements  of  worldliness  in  the  home  over  which 
even  the  most  faithful  pastor  cannot  have  control,  but 
as  a  rule  a  sincere,  godly  life  and  conversation  tind 
their  reflex  in  the  inmates  of  the  home.  The  untold 
value  of  this  influence  is  shown  to  be  real  in  the  fact 
that,  while  the  proportion  of  ministers'  families  bears 
only  a  small  ratio  to  the  entire  Church  membership, 
practically  twelve  ministers  of  our  Church  out  of  every 
hundred  come  out  of  ministers'  homes. 

The  Far-Reaching  Factor 

The  pastor's  influence  goes  farther  than  his  parson- 
age home.  It  reflects  itself  in  the  moods  and  temper  of 
his  people.  A  prayerless  pastor,  careless  about  the 
study  of  the  Word,  is  powerless  before  the  tides  of 
worldliness  and  sin  that  sweep  with  violence  against 
the  faith  supports  of  his  people.    The  statement  of 

111 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


Dr.  R.  N.  Price,  a  veteran  of  ninety  years,  is  that  he 
never  made  it  a  rule  to  pray  in  every  home  into  which 
he  went  that  a  revival  of  religion  did  not  "break  out." 
TJie  people^  as  well  as  the  family^  reflect  the  inner  life 
of  the  preacher. 

Real  Spiritual  Leadership 

The  next  step  of  the  man  of  God  whose  personal  life 
is  built  on  the  Word  and  enriched  by  prayer  and  whose 
home  reflects  all  that  is  beautiful  in  Christian  charac- 
ter is  a  forceful  leadership  in  things  spiritual.  His 
words  will  come  now  with  a  force  and  authority  un- 
known to  him  who  lacks  such  equipment.  His  will  be 
a  holy  boldness  that  does  not  hesitate  to  call  on  the 
laymen  to  do  in  their  homes  what  every  faithful  pastor 
is  already  doing.  One  presiding  elder  nerved  himself 
for  leadership  in  the  Missionary  Centenary  by  calcu- 
lating that  his  family  was  (ilready  contributing  more  in 
one  year  than  the  average  member  was  asked  to  give  in 
five.  If  it  was  the  duty  and  privilege  of  his  family  to 
do  that,  without  the  stimulus  of  a  great  missionary 
campaign,  w^hy  should  he  not  boldly  ask  his  people  con- 
fidently expecting  them  to  respond.  He  was  not  dis- 
appointed. 

Why  Not? 

Why  should  we  not  ask  every  member  of  the  Church 
to  read  the  Bible  and  pray  daily?  Is  there  any  reason 
why  they  should  not  do  so?   Is  it  an  unreasonable  de- 

112 


SPIRITUAL 


RE  80 U  RC  E  S 


M A XUAL 


mand?  Is  the  conduct  of  the  family  altar  so  difficult 
as  to  be  impossible  bv  the  average  layman?  Is  there 
any  excuse  he  can  render  to  God  or  his  pastor  for  not 
having  family  prayers?  Can  he  afford  to  leave  his  fam- 
ily without  the  protection  and  stimulus  of  daily  prayer 
and  supplication  for  their  vr  elf  are?  If  there  is  no  real 
excuse,  then  why  not  press  home  the  absolute  duty  a^^ 
well  as  privilege  of  the  daily  reading  of  the  Word  and 
prayer  in  his  home? 

The  Missionary  Centenary  has  given  us  a  new  Church 
in  its  ideals,  aspirations,  and  activities.  The  Christian 
Education  Movement  promises  to  set  a  new  mark  of 
excellence.  But  if  the  rank  and  file  of  the  membership 
do  not  enter  on  a  new  life  of  Bible  study  and  prayer, 
if  the  fires  do  not  burn  on  the  altars  of  homes,  if  a 
great  force  is  not  set  to  serving  tables  from  which  serv- 
ice it  shall  graduate  into  the  conduct  of  great  evangel- 
istic campaigns  and  be  ready  to  die  for  the  faith  that 
is  in  it.  the  missionary  and  educational  dollars  will 
have  been  given  in  vain. 

We  are  i)ersuaded  that  the  period  of  intensive  spir- 
itual cultivation  planned  will  lift  the  Church  on  high 
tides  of  power  and  impart  the  vision  of  Jesus  in  his 
abandon  of  self-sacrifice  which  provided  saving  grace 
through  a  world-wide  gospel.  The  call  comes  ringing  in 
clarion  tones  to  every  son  of  Wesley:  ''Be  strong  and 
show  thyself  a  mun/^ 

8  113 


VI 

Books  and  Pamphlets 

The  Bible  and  Missions.  By  Helen  Barrett  Mont- 
gomery. 

The  Mind  of  the  Messiah.   By  Charlotte  Adams. 
The  Meaning  of  Faith.   By  Fosdick. 
John's  Gospel  the  Greatest  Book  in  the  World.  By 
Speer. 

Thirty  Studies  about  Jesus.   By  Bosworth. 
Story  of  the  New  Testament.   By  Thomas  Carter. 
Story  of  the  Old  Testament.  By  Frank  Seay. 
Manhood  of  the  Master.   By  Fosdick. 
The  Worker  and  His  Bible.   By  Eiselen  and  Barclay. 
The  Teacher's  Study  of  the  Life  of  Christ.   By  Bar- 
clay. 

Helpful  Books  for  the  Prayer  Meeting 

The  Midweek  Service.  By  Halford  E.  Luccock  and 
Warren  F.  Cook. 

The  Ideal  Prayer  Meeting.   By  W.  H.  Groat. 

The  Redemption  of  the  Prayer  Meeting.  By  J.  G. 
Haller. 

General 

Religious  Education  in  the  Family  (book).  By  H. 
F.  Cope. 

Religion  in  the  Home  (pamphlet).  By  W.  W.  Moore. 
114 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


Books  on  Prayer 

Meaning  of  Prayer.   By  Harry  Emerson  Fosdick. 

The  Throne  of  Grace.   By  William  A.  Quayle. 

Service  and  Prayers  for  Church  and  Home.  By  Wil- 
bur P.  Thirkield. 

Why  Men  Pray.   By  Charles  Lewis  Slattery. 

Week-Day  Prayers.   By  Christian  F.  Reisner. 

Book  of  Prayers  for  Everybody  and  All  Occasions. 
Edited  and  compiled  by  George  W.  Noble, 

God's  Minnte.   By  Eminent  Clergymen  and  Laymen. 

Some  Little  Prayers.   By  Lucy  Eider  Meyer. 

The  Prayer  that  Teaches  to  Pray.   By  Marcus  Dods. 

The  Dynamic  of  All  Prayer.   By  G.  G.  Flemming. 

Men  Who  Prayed. 

The  Purpose  of  Prayer.   By  E.  M.  Bounds. 

Pamphlets  on  Prayer 

Intercessors  the  Primary  Need.  By  John  R.  Mott, 
Association  Press. 

If  Millions  Prayed.  By  William  E.  Doughty,  Inter- 
church  World  Movement. 

The  Promotion  of  Prayer  for  Missions.  By  W.  E. 
Doughty.  Laymen's  Missionary  Movement 

Prayer  for  Missions.  By  Professor  Warneck,  Stu- 
dent Volunteer  Movement. 

The  Life  of  Prayer  Indispensable  for  World  Win- 
ners.  By  W.  E.  Doughty,  Joint  Centenary  Committee. 

115 


SPIRITUAL     RESOURCES  MANUAL 


May  I  Wield  the  Arm  of  Omnipotence?  By  Elam 
Franklin  Dempsey,  Centenary  of  Methodist  Missions. 

A  Call  to  Intercession.  By  C.  G.  Hounshell,  Cente 
nary  of  Methodist  Missions. 

Methodism  at  Prayer.  By  C.  C.  Jarrell,  Centenary 
of  Methodist  Missions. 

Now  What?  By  R.  H.  Bennett,  Centenary  of  Meth- 
odist Missions. 

Pertinent  Prayer  Pointers.  By  S.  A.  Neblett,  Cen- 
tenary of  Methodist  Missions. 

Home  Wf^rship  (compiled).  Centenary  of  Methodist 
Missions. 

Prayer  and  Missions.  By  R.  E.  Speer,  Student  Vol- 
unteer Movement. 

Intercession.  By  W.  E.  Doughty,  Joint  Centenary 
Committee. 

New- Ventures  of  Faith.  By  Gilbert  A.  Beaver,  copy- 
right by  Frederick  Harris. 

116 


rm  DUTY^ 

OF  THE  CHURCH 

kTO  EDUOTE^ 


By  BISHOP  EDWiN  D  MOUZON 


The  Duty  of 
the  Church  to  Educate 


Bishop  Edwin  D.  Mouzon 


ME. CHURCH. SOUTH 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  COMMISSION 
M.  E.  CHURCH,  SOUTH 
DEPARTMENT  OF  PUBLICITY 
NASHVILLE.  TENNESSEE 


BEKSOII    PTG.   CO..  »«SHVILLE 


THE  DUTY  OF  THE  CHURCH 
TO  EDUCATE 


HE  Educational  Movement  upon  which  we  have  now' 
entered  is  something  more  than  a  campaign  to  raise 
thirty-three  milHon  dollars  for  our  schools,  colleges,  and 
universities.  It  is  a  campaign  in  the  interest  of  an  edu- 
cation which  shall  be  distinctly  Christian,  in  our-  homes,  in  our 
churches,  and  in  our  institutions  of  learning.  *^We  are  convinced 
that  Christian  Education,  as  truly  as  Revivalism,  is  a  method  of 
Evangelism.  If  disciples  are  to  be  made  of  all  the  nations,  it 
must  be  done  not  only  by  making  the  personal  appeal  which  shall  | 
lead  to  surrender  to  Jesus  Christ  and  public  profession  of  faith  in 
Him,  but  also  by  *Heaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
Christ  has  commanded  them."  \/'Evangelism"  is  not  to  be  identi- 
fied with  "Revivalism."  Christian  Education  is  itself  a  method , 
of  Evangelism.  i 
And  this  movement  comes  at  an  opportune — let  us  say,  rather,' 
a  providential — hour.  For  we  have  come  now  to  one  of  the 
turning  points  in  human  progress.  We  stand  at  the  very  hinge 
of  history.  We  see  all  around  us  an  old  order  of  things  in  process 
of  disintegration.  Thrones  have  toppled  over.  Empires  have  been 
broken  up.  Institutions  hoary  with  age  have  come  to  nought. 
Authorities  long  feared  are  now  laughed  at.  Voices  long  silent 
have  now  found  tongue  and  utterance.  And  with  the  going  of 
things  that  ought  to  go,  many  good  things  have  gone.  Along  with 
the  tares,  the  wheat  is  being  rudely  torn  up.  Not  since  the  fall 
of  Rome  and  the  coming  down  of  the  northern  barbarians  have 
the  institutions  of  civilization  been  so  shaken  to  the  very  founda- 
tion. Not  since  the  Dark  Ages  has  so  much  of  the  world  been 
in  confusion  and  disorder. 

Here  in  America  we  also  have  taken  the  plunge  downward. 
From  the  splendid  Christian  idealism  which  characterized  us  dur- 
ing the  Great  War,  under  the  blind  leadership  of  the  politicians 
we  have  descended  to  crass  realism,  which  claims  to  see  things 
just  as  they  are  and  cares  nothing  for  things  as  they  ought  to  be. 
From  the  glorious  experience  of  self-sacrifice  which  poured  out  our 
wealth  in  the  service  of  our  country  and  offered  up  our  sons  on 
the  altar  of  humanity,  we  have  dropped  to  a  conscious  selfishness 


which  has  turned  us  into  a  nation  of  profiteers  and  has  stopped 
our  ears  to  the  cry  of  a  broken-hearted  world.  Two  years  ago 
who  would  have  thought  that  we  would  come  to  this! 

And  yet,  "Man's  extremity  is  God's  opportunity."  The 
very  fact  that  human  institutions  are  in  a  state  of  flux  gives  the 
Church  its  opportunity.  When  all  human  institutions  were  stable, 
when  they  were  fixed  and  rigid,  when  some  of  them  were  even 
fossilized,  then  the  Church  could  work  but  slowly;  little  by  litde 
could  such  institutions  be  changed.  But  now  God  seems  to  say, 
"Behold,  I  make  all  things  new."  One  who  believes  in  God — 
in  the  God  of  the  present  as  well  as  in  the  God  of  the  past — not 
in  an  absentee  God,  but  a  God  who  indwells  in  all  things — should 
not  be  fearful  and  afraid  in  a  time  like  this.  It  may  be  that, 
just  as  in  the  beginning  the  Spirit  of  God  brooded  over  chaos  and 
awoke  all  things  into  life  and  order  and  beauty,  so  now  the  Spirit 
is  brooding  over  the  chaos  of  human  society  with  a  view  to  bring- 
ing a  new  beaut>'  and  order  and  life  into  the  world.  Such  a  plastic 
period  gives  the  Church  its  opportunity.  And  just  now,  in  the 
Providence  of  God,  comes  our  Movement  in  the  interest  of  Chris- 
tian Education. 

I 

NEVER  SO  IMPERATIVE  AS  NOW 

In  the  light  of  present  world  conditions  we  see  the  necessii];  of 
Christian  Education  as  never  before. 

'"'Tht  world  went  wrong  because  education  went  astray.  With 
all  the  emphasis  of  bursting  shell  and  sinking  ships  and  shrieking 
women  and  crying  children,  we  have  learned  that  what  is  put  into 
the  schools  of  a  people  invariably  comes  out  in  their  life  and  char- 
acter. The  educational  institutions  of  a  nation  determine  the  char- 
acter of  that  nation.  The  teachers  of  any  country  are  the  makers 
of  that  country. 

Consider  briefly  just  what  the  educational  situation  was 
shortly  before  the  outbreak  of  the  World  War.  Germany  had 
become  the  world's  schoolmaster.  Education  had  become 
paganized  in  Germany ;  and  in  less  than  two  generations  a  noble 
Christian  nation,  which  had  given  to  the  world  men  like  Luther 
and  Kant  and  Lotze  and  Schleiermacher  and  Julius  Muller  and 
Dorner,  had  become  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  heathen  nation. 
!  The  historian  Treitschke  occupied  a  mighty  seat  of  influence  in 
every  German  university.    Said  Treitschke,  "I  have  never  in  my 


life  given  one  thought  to  my  duties  to  society;  I  have  never  in  my 
life,  by  so  much  as  one  single  thought,  neglected  to  consider  my 
duty  to  the  Prussian  state." 

Nietzsche's  influence  was  simply  tremendous.  "I  impeach," 
said  Nietzsche,  "I  impeach  the  greatest  blasphemy  in  time — the 
religion  which  has  enchained  and  softened  us."  And  again, 
"What  have  we  to  do  with  the  herd  morality  which  expresses 
itself  in  modern  democracy?  It  is  good  for  cows,  women,  and 
Englishmen."  In  this  spirit  he  called  to  the  men  of  Germany, 
"A  new  table  set  I  over  you,  O,  my  brethren.  Become  hard.** 
As  the  school  went  in  Germany,  so  the  Church  went.  For  what 
men  learn  in  the  school  room  today  they  preach  in  the  pulpit  to- 
morrow. Thus  Germany  was  paganized,  and  the  world  was 
plunged  into  war. 

It  should  not  be  overlooked  that  something  of  the  same  sort  was 
going  on  here  in  America.  Our  finest  young  men  had  gone  to 
Germany  and  sat  at  the  feet  of  German  professors.  And  they 
had  learned  their  lessons  well,  bringing  back  with  them  both 
German  philosophy  and  German  conceit.  In  every  American 
university  second-hand  German  teachings  were  being  set  forth. 
About  the  highest  praise  that  could  be  offered  any  course  of  lec- 
tures in  one  of  our  universities  was,  "You  can  not  find  anything 
to  equal  this  outside  of  Germany."  There  can  be  little  doubt 
that  if  Germany  had  not  brought  on  the  World  War,  she  would 
have  been  able,  within  another  generation,  to  conquer  the  world 
through  a  Germanized  system  of  education  which  was  rapidly 
extending  everywhere. 

PRUSSIAN  TENDENCIES  IN  AMERICA 

As  indicating  what  was  going  on  here  in  America,  attention 
is  called  to  the  result  of  the  questionnaire  sent  out  by  Professor , 
James  Henry  Leuba,  of  Bryn  Mawr,  to  professors  and  teachers  in 
the  leading  American  institutions  of  learning.  He  reports  that  more  i 
than  fifty  per  cent  of  the  most  distinguished  professors  in  American  \ 
colleges  do  not  believe  in  Cod.    Taking  the  most  eminent  of  these 
teachers  of  the  youth  of  our  country,  he  says  that  only  twenty" 
seven  per  cent  of  them  believe  in  the  existence  of  God,  and  that 
only  thirty-five  per  cent  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  Here 
is  a  startling  revelation,  | 

To  the  instruction  of  men  like  these  we  have  been  commit- 


ting  the  young  people  of  our  hearts  and  homes.  And  it  does  mat- 
ter what  a  man  believes.  Morality  is  grounded  in  religion.  Take 
away  faith  in  God  and  immortality  and  you  take  away  the  very 
foundations  of  the  ethical  life.  This  is  precisely  what  took  place 
in  Germany:  First  faith  in  the  foundation  facts  of  Christianity 
was  destroyed,  and  then  Christian  morahty  gave  place  to  pagan 
morals. 

And  the  progress  of  anti-Christian  sentiment  had  gone  so  far 
in  America  that  men  of  large  means  were  beginning  to  urge  that 
the  time  had  come  for  the  Church  to  retire  altogether  from  the 
field  of  education.  They  were  planning  to  starve  to  death  such 
institutions  as  were  still  owned  and  controlled  by  the  Church. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  Atlanta  meeting  of  the  Board 
of  Education  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  in  1 908, 
an  able  paper  was  read  by  a  representative  of  the  Carnegie  Foun- 
dation, in  which  it  was  argued  that  the  time  had  come  for  the 
Church  to  turn  over  to  others  the  work  of  education.  We  were 
told  that  "the  educational  situation  is  somewhat  analogous  to  that 
of  a  youth  who  in  his  minority  has  been  controlled  and  supported 
by  his  father;  but  who,  when  he  comes  to  years  of  maturity,  as- 
sumes the  obligations  and  responsibilities  which  go  with  citizen- 
ship. When  that  tim.e  comes,  the  father  may  well  say  to  him, 
'Through  all  these  years  I  have  nourished  you  and  supported  you 
and  controlled  you.  The  time  has  now  come  when  you  must  con- 
trol yourself,  and  with  that  control  you  will  naturally  assume 
your  support.'  " 

One  may  be  pardoned  for  failing  to  see  any  analogy.  It  is 
certain  that  State  institutions  do  not  control  themselves — the  poli- 
ticians control  them.  It  is  also  certain  that  institutions  founded 
and  fostered  by  wealthy  individuals  do  not  control  themselves — 
to  a  large  degree  their  wealthy  patrons  control  them.  On  the 
other  hand,  it  may  be  said  with  confidence  that  nowhere  is  thought 
so  free  from  hurtful  restraint  as  in  the  colleges  and  universities  of 
the  Church.  Freedom  of  thought  is  one  of  the  cardinal  doctrines 
|of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ. 

I  In  the  paper  above  referred  to,  we  were  given  this  informa- 
Ition:  "Men  who  are  religious  in  the  best  and  deepest  sense — the 
fcense  which  qualifies  for  educational  leadership — are  not  segre- 
gated in  conformity  \vith.  denominational  lines.  They  belong  to 
•the  Church  invisible  and  universal."    "The  Church  invisible  and 


universal"  indeed!  As  if  one  should  say,  "The  men  best  qualffl 
fied  for  leadership  in  national  affairs  do  not  care  anything  for  one 
state  or  another,  they  love  all  the  states  "invisible  and  universal!** 
The  fact  is,  patriotism  is  always  rooted  in  the  soil;  and  loyalty 
to  one's  Church  is  the  patriotism  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  Vague- 
ness of  conception  is  no  evidence  of  superior  character.  Men  with 
uncertain  views  touching  religion  are  the  very  last  men  to  be  en- 
trusted with  educational  leadership.  What  is  here  emphasized  is 
the  startling  fact  that  the  paganizing  tendency  in  education  in 
America  had  gone  so  far  as  to  lead  a  distinguished  educator  to 
lecture  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  in  the  manner  just  referred  to. 

Such  was  the  educational  situation  in  Europe  and  America 
when  the  World  War  broke  upon  us.  And  there  has  been  little 
change  since.  We  have  been  startled.  We  have  been  shocked. 
Some  few  are  wide-awake.  But  the  majority  are  still  careless 
and  indifferent.  No  man  can  question  for  a  moment  that  if  the 
teachings  of  Jesus  had  been  built  into  the  foundations  of  our  mod- 
ern world — if  the  ethics  of  Christ  had  been  taught  in  the  univer- 
sities of  Europe — the  great  world  catastrophe  would  not  have 
come  upon  us.  And  there  is  but  one  hope  for  the  future — to  give 
to  the  world  the  truth  of  the  gospel  of  the  world's  Reedemer. 

II 

THE  TEACHING  MISSION  OF  THE  CHURCH 

The  time  has  come  to  lay  larger  stress  on  Christian  Education 
than  has  yet  been  done  in  the  modern  Church. 

This  does  not  mean  that  we  are  to  put  culture  in  the  place  of 
conversion  and  to  substitute  the  trained  mind  for  the  pure  heart. 
But  it  does  mean  thatjeducation  is  an  essential  and  vital  part  of  the 
program  of  Christianity!  and  that  the  Church  which  neglects  it 
fails  of  its  God-appointed  mission  in  the  world.  0levivalism  is 
not  the  total  mission  of  Christianity;  and  Revivalism  never  was 
the  total  business  of  Methodism.  Christian  Education,  as  well  as 
Revivalism,  is  necessary  if  the  world  is  to  be  won  to  righteousness' 
according  to  the  program  of  Jesus  Christ^J  ! 

1.  Let  it  he  remembered  that  Jesus  himself  was  a  great 
Teacher.  Men  have  often  written  and  taught  as  if  the  one  a^d 
only  purpose  of  the  coming  of  Christ  was  to  die  for  the  sins  of  men; 
the  just  for  the  unjust,  that  He  might  bring  us  to  God.    The  vie^j 


seems  to  be  held  by  many  that  the  total  work  of  redem.ption  was 
accomplished  on  the  cross.  The  cross  is  indeed  central  in  Chris- 
tianity. It  is  the  diamond  pivot  about  which  everything  else  re- 
volves in  the  gospel.  It  is  the  burning  point  in  the  life  of  Jesus — 
all  His  mighty  works,  all  His  wonderful  teachings  come  to  a 
focus  here  in  the  cross. 

But  Jesus  was  the  world's  greatest  teacher  of  ethics  and  re- 
ligion. This  is  the  name  by  which  He  is  most  often  addressed, 
"Teacher."  How  often  in  our  Authorized  Version  of  the  New- 
Testament  we  read  of  men  addressing  Him  as  "Master."  Now 
this  word,  "Master,"  is  in  the  Greek  Testament  didasl^alos,  which 
means  always  teacher.  And  the  word,  "disciple"  is  in  the  Greek 
mathetes,  which  means  a  learner.  Jesus  is  the  "Master"  the 
"Teacher;"  and  Christians  are  "disciples,"  that  is  to  say,  "learn- 
ers in  the  school  of  Jesus."  How  much  we  have  lost  by  over- 
looking this  fact.  The  death  of  Christ  is  supremely  redemptive. 
But  the  teachings  of  Jesus  are  themselves  of  redemptive  value. 
They  have  in  them  redemptive  power. 

What  would  the  death  of  Jesus  mean  to  the  world  without 
the  teachings  of  Jesus?  What  would  the  cross  of  Christ  have  Ij 
done  for  the  world  unless  along  with  the  cross  had  gone  the  teach-  i 
ings  of  Him  who  died  on  the  cross?  The  fact  is  evident  that 
Jesus  spent  more  of  His  time  in  teaching  than  in  any  other  one 
thing.  In  public  He  spoke  to  the  multitudes;  in  private  He  in- 
structed His  disciples. 

Look  for  a  moment  into  the  Four  Gospels.     Mark  is  the 
earliest  of  the  four.     In  Mark  we  have  Jesus  as  the  Doer  of  | 
Mighty  Deeds.     In  Mark,  Jesus  is  the  "Strong  Son  of  God." 
But  the  deeds  of  Jesus  are  recorded  because  of  w^hat  they  teach, 
and  almost  every  page  in  Mark's  gospel  contains  teachings  from  i 
the  lips  of  the  Master.    And  over  and  over  again  Jesus  is  referred  j| 
to  as  "Master,"  "Teacher."  || 

The  Gospel  according  to  Matthew  presents  Jesus  as  the  Christ 
who  fulfils  prophecy^.  But  what  a  Teacher  Jesus  is  in  Matthew — 
in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount;  in  His  instructions  to  His  disciples 
touching  their  work;  in  His  wonderful  parables;  in  His  great  dis- 
courses concerning  "Last  Things." 

In  Luke's  Gospel  He  is  the  Sympathizing  Son  of  Man.  But 
what  a  Teacher  He  is — in  parables  of  exquisite  tenderness  like 
"The  Good  Samaritan"  and  "The  Prodigal  Son,"  and  in  others 


of  divine  severity  like  the  story  of  "the  Rich  Fool"  and  that  of 
"the  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus." 

In  the  Fourth  Gospel,  Jesus  is  the  Eternal  Word  of  God 
Made  Manifest  in  Human  Flesh.  And  what  a  Teacher  He  is 
as  He  talks  with  Nicodemus,  and  as  He  tarries  by  Jacob's  well 
and  talks  to  the  Samaritan  woman,  and  as  He  declares  Himself  to 
be  the  Bread  of  Life.  And  what  a  Teacher  He  is  seen  to  be 
when,  with  John  the  beloved  disciple,  we  enter  the  Holy  of  Holies 
and  hear  those  marvelous  utterances  contained  in  the  fourteenth, 
fifteenth,  sixteenth,  and  seventeenth  chapters  of  the  Fourth  Gospel. 
Truly,  here  is  One  who  speaks  as  never  man  spoke ! 

In  insisting,  therefore,  that  the  Church  give  larger  place  to 
Christian  Education,  we  are  but  urging  that  Christians  come  back 
to  the  feet  of  the  world's  Great  Teacher  and  learn  in  the  school 
of  Christ.  "Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go?  Thou  hast  the  words 
of  eternal  life.  And  we  have  believed  and  know  that  thou  art  the 
Holy  One  of  God." 

IT  IS  WHAT  THE  APOSTLES  DID 

V  2.  The  apostles  and  earl})  disciples  of  Jesus  clearl})  understood 
that  they  were  called  of  God  to  he  teachers. 

Jesus  had  made  this  to  be  a  part  of  their  mission  in  the  world. 
Before  He  left  them  He  laid  this  command  upon  them:  'JAII 
authority  hath  been  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Go 
ye  therefore  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations,  baptizing  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  commanded  you: 
and  lo,  I  am  with  you  all  the  days,  even  unto  the  consummation 
of  the  age." 

Observe  carefully  that  He  says  not  "unto  the  collapse  of  the 
present  dispensation,"  but  "unto  the  consummation  of  the  age.'* 
The  work  of  the  Church  is  to  end  not  in  failure  but  in  success; 
not  in  catastrophe  but  in  triumph;  and  to  a  teaching  Church  the 
presence  of  Christ  is  promised  "even  unto  the  consummation  of 
the  age."  We  are  not  leading  a  forlorn  hope,  we  are  not  fighting 
a  losing  battle  when  we  labor  in  obedience  to  the  command  of 
Christ.  And  we  are  not  seeking  to  gather  out  the  "elect"  from 
all  nations,  and  to  get  them  ready  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air  at 
His  second  coming  when  the  world  shall  be  destroyed.    Such  a 


notion  of  the  mission  of  the  Church  can  have  no  place  in  the  rehg- 
ion  of  Christ,  and  none  in  the  program  of  Methodism. 

Hie  world  itself  is  the  subject  of  Redemption — in  all  its 
human  institutions,  its  homes,  its  schools,  its  places  of  business,  its 
halls  of  legislature.  The  entire  social  order  is  to  be  brought  under 
the  sway  of  Jesus  Christ.  And  this  is  what  we  are  praying  for 
when  we  say,  "Our  Father,  thy  kingdom  come;  thy  will  be  done 
on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven."  It  is  because  Christianity  has  a  great 
v/orld-program  that  Christ  commands  us  to  "make  disciples  of  all 
nations"  by  bringing  men  to  make  public  profession  of  faith  in 
Him  (which  is  the  significance  of  baptism),  and  by  "teaching 
them  to  observe  all  things"  which  He  commanded. 

^nd  His  disciples  were  obedient  to  His  command.  For  this 
reason  they  wrote  the  Four  Gospels—^to  tell  of  Jesus  and  to  pre- 
serve His  teachings  in  the  worlci)  Ct herefore  the  apostle  Paul 
wrote  his  great  epistles^  It  was  not  enough  that  men  in  Galatia 
and  Achaia  and  Asiar^ad  passed  through  the  experience  of  con- 
version, mighty  and  marvelous  as  that  experience  was.  The  Gal- 
atians  had  to  be  saved  from  false  teachers;  the  Corinthians  had 
to  be  grounded  in  the  fundamentals  of  the  faith;  the  Ephesians 
hadyito  be  built  up  in  Christ. 

/And  what  a  teacher  Paul  was!  Never  did  he  bring  his 
teachings  down  to  his  disciples;  always  did  he  bring  his  disciples 
up  to  his  teachings^  It  is  instructive  to  see  what  profound  truths 
he  presented  to  rtien  so  recently  won  to  Christ  as  the  Galatians, 
the  Corinthians,  and  the  Ephesians.  CEhe  apostles  and  early  dis- 
ciples did  not  overlook  the  teaching  function  of  the  church  of 
Christ.^  Thus  it  came  about  that  we  have  the  New  Testament. 

OUT-THINK  THE  PAGAN  WORLD 

3.  The  Early  Church  continued  the  work  of  teaching. 

In  his  delightful  little  book,  "The  Jesus  of  History,"  Profes- 
sor T.  R.  Glover  has  an  illuminating  chapter  on  "The  Christian 
Church  in  the  Roman  Empire."  He  discusses  the  "victory  of 
the  Christian  Church  over  the  Pagan  world."  The  old  pagan 
religion  had  enormous  strength.  It  was  universally  accepted;  it 
had  great  traditions;  it  had  all  the  splendor  of  art  and  ritual— 
"everything  that,  to  the  ordinary  mmd,  could  make  for  reality 
and  power,  to  show  how  absolutely  inconceivable  it  was  that  it 
could  ever  pass  away."    Into  this  pagan  world  came  the  Christian 


Church,  *'a  ludicrous  collection  of  trivial  people,  very  ignorant  and 
very  common ;  fishermen  and  publicans,  as  the  Gospels  show  us, 
'the  baker  and  the  fuller,'  as  Celsus  said  with  a  sneer" — and  yet 
the  Christian  Church  conquered  that  great  pagan  world. 

How  did  it  do  this?   (t^rofessor  Glover  gives  three  great  rea- 
sons: the  Christian  "outlived"  the  pagan;  he  * 'out-died"  him;  and 

I  he  "out-thought"  him^  The  Christian  lived  such  a  life  of  moral 
purity  and  beauty  as  the  world  had  never  seen  before;  the  Chris- 
tian, although  burned  at  the  stake  or  wrapped  in  the  skins  of  wild 
beasts  and  thrown  into  the  ampitheater  for  the  amusement  of  the 
spectators,  died  such  a  death  of  peace  and  victory  as  the  world  had 
never  seen  before. 

But  this  was  not  all.  (^he  Early  Church  did  not  overcome 
the  ancient  pagan  world  simply  by  "out-living"  it  and  by  "out- 
dying"  it.  The  Earl})  Church  ''out-thoughC  the  ancient  pagan 
world.  And  if  it  had  not  out-thought  it,  it  would  never  have 
overcome  it!^    The  Christians  were  conscious  of  their  intellectual 

\      superiority,  and  they  made  others  aware  of  it.    They  went  to  the 

i  pagan  shrines  and  asked  uncomfortable  questions.  On  one  side 
of  the  shrines  the  notice  was  posted,  "Christians  on  the  outside." 
The  Christian  saw  too  much. 

The  pagan  world  stood  in  fear  of  "demons,"  just  as  the  mod- 
ern pagan  world  stands  in  fear  of  them,  just  as  some  of  our  half- 
Christianized  people  in  this  country  fear  to  start  on  a  journey  on 
Friday  or  to  sit  down  at  a  table  where  there  are  thirteen  covers 
laid.  The  Christian  learned  to  believe  in  one  God — the  God  that 
made  the  heavens  and  the  earth  and  controls  all  the  forces  of 
nature.  Before  this  faith  in  the  one  God,  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  the  fear  of  demons  fell  away.  The  demon  simply 
disappeared  from  his  thought.  TTie  essence  of  magic  was  to  be 
able  to  link  the  name  of  a  demon  with  the  name  of  one's  enemy, 
to  set  the  demon  on  the  man.  "Very  well,"  said  the  Christian, 
"link  my  name  with  your  demons.  Use  my  name  in  any  magic 
you  like.  There  is  a  Name  above  every  name.  I  am  not  afraid." 
And  so  they  put  the  demons  to  flight. 

The  Christiajia  read^ the  best  books^^and  had  the  widest  out- 
look. "From  the  very  start  every  Christian  had  to  know  and  to 
understand,  and  he  had  to  read  the  Gospels;  he  had  to  be  able  to 

!  give  the  reason  for  his  faith.  Thus  it  came  about  that  the  old 
religion  fell,  'beaten  in  thought,  in  morals,  in  life,  in  death.'  And 


/ 


by  and  by  the  only  name  for  it  was  paganism,  the  religion  of  the 
back-country  village,  of  the  out-of-the-way  places."  The  Chris- 
tian had  conquered  because  he  out-thought  the  pagan.  His  was 
the  rehgion  that  had  a  Book. 

And  later  on,  in  the  fourth  century,  when  there  came  a  crucial 
hour  in  the  history  of  Christianity,  when  the  great  heresy  of  Arian- 
ism  arose,  which  in  the  long  run  would  have  paganize3T!KiiSiamty7 
what  was  it  that  saved  the  Church?  It  was  once  more  the  fact 
that  Christian  scholars  and  philosophers  were  able  to  out-think  the 
pagan  world.  In  the  city  of  Alexandria  there  had  arisen  a  great 
school  of  philosophers,  men  of  wide  outlook,  men  who  were  not 
afraid  to  think,  men  who  looked  upon  all  truth  as  coming  from 
God,  men  who  believed  that  God  had  given  insight  to  the  great 
Greek  thinkers  just  as  truly  as  He  had  given  vision  to  the  Hebrew 
prophet,  a  school  which  produced  such  theologians  as  Clement 
and  Origen  and  Athanasius.  And  when  there  came  the  time  when 
the  theology  of  John  and  of  Paul  had  to  be  defended  against 
fundamental  error,  these  great  Christian  thinkers  were  able  to  do 
it.  And  so  once  more  Christianity  conquered  because  it  was  able 
to  out-think  the  pagan  world. 

PAGANISM  STILL  PERSISTS 

Today  Christianity  is  face  to  face  with  a  revival  of  paganism. 
The  philosophy  taught  in  our  American  universities  is  for  the  most 
part  a  pagan  philosophy.  Besides,  there  has  come  about  the  uni- 
versal teaching  of  evolution  and  higher  criticism  and  sociology. 
What  shall  be  the  attitude  of  the  Church  toward  all  these  things? 
There  is  but  one  Christian  attitude — that  all  truth  is  of  Cod. 
There  is  but  one  thing  for  the  Church  to  do — to  out-think  the  mod- 
ern pagan  world.  If  the  Church  cannot  out-think  the  modern 
pagan  world,  it  will  die — and  it  ought  to  die.  And  our  colleges 
and  universities  must  face  these  things. 

We  have  heard  of  preachers  without  scientific  training  de- 
nouncing the  scientific  doctrine  of  evolution.  The  shoemaker  had 
best  stick  to  his  last!  The  preacher's  business  is  to  preach  the 
gospel.  He  discounts  himself  and  discredits  his  gospel  when  he 
talks  about  things  concerning  which  he  knows  nothing  at  all.  And 
it  is  painfully  common — for  we  hear  it  often  from  the  lips  of  men 
who  ought  to  know  better  if  they  do  not — to  find  preachers  with 
great  vehemence  denouncing  the  "higher  critics."    They  have  the 


applause  of  the  ignorant  and  themselves  feel  as  if  they  wcac  dis- 
playing the  heroism  of  martyrs.  But  they  are  just  making  n  pub- 
lic spectacle  of  themselves  to  the  hurt  of  Christianity  and  the  grief 
of  well-instructed  saints.  It  ought  to  be  taken  for  granted  that  in 
the  Christian  pulpit  a  man  has  no  right  to  talk  about  anything 
unless  he  knows  something  about  the  subject;  but  somehow  we 
have  not  yet  attained  to  that  state  of  grace. 

It  is  true,  as  every  scholar  knows,  that  many  of  the  higher 
critics  have  reached  conclusions  which  are  absurd  and  contradic- 
tory of  the  fundamental  principles  of  our  holy  religion.  But  igno- 
rant denunciation  of  the  conclusions  of  scholars  will  nt  ver  get  us 
anywhere.  The  time  has  come  to  bring  scholarship  and  piety 
together.  It  had  as  well  be  understood  now  as  later  that  the  higher 
critical  method  is  here  to  stay,  and  that  every  scholar  in  the  world 
who  knows  anything  about  the  Bible  follows  that  method.  The 
one  way  to  overturn  the  conclusions  of  critics  which  are  contra- 
dictory of  both  sound  sense  and  sound  religion  is  to  beat  them  at 
their  own  game;  that  is  to  say,  to  be  greater  scholars  than  they 
are  and  to  present  conclusions  which  shall  put  theirs  to  shame. 
Now,  as  in  the  early  centuries.  Christians  must  out-think  the  pagan 
world. 

An  additional  word  needs  to  be  said  at  this  point.  Our  col- 
leges and  universities  must  stand  true  to  the  everlasting  principles 
of  the  Christian  religion.  No  man  must  at  any  time  be  tolerated 
in  a  professor's  chair  who  seeks  to  overturn  **the  faith  once  for  all 
delivered  unto  the  saints."  But  we  must  learn  to  distinguish  be- 
tween things  that  differ.  The  man  who  contends  for  the  Mosaic 
authorship  of  the  Pentateuch  with  the  same  zeal  that  he  contends 
for  the  deity  of  Jesus  Christ  has  not  learned  to  distinguish  between 
things  that  are  vital  and  things  that  are  not  vital  to  the  Christian 
faith.  The  man  who  argues  with  equal  enthusiasm  for  the  unity 
of  the  book  of  Isaiah  and  the  truth  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ  from  the  dead,  raises  in  spiritual  minds  the  question  as  to 
whether  he  has  any  vital  appreciation  of  the  glorious  significance  of 
the  resurrection  of  our  Lord. 

PRIMARY  TRUTHS  OF  EXPERIENCE 

The  great  truths  of  religion  are  all  primarily  truths  of  experi- 
ence. The  apostles  were  not  first  theologians  and  then  Christians. 
They  were  first  Christians  and  then  theologians.  The  deity  of 
Jesus  Christ  is  a  truth  of  experience — "No  man  can  say  that  Jesus 


is  Lord  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  The  atoning  death  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  a  truth  of  experience — "  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  clean- 
seth  from  all  sin."  The  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Trinity  is  a  truth 
of  experience — God  is  known  by  Christians  as  Father,  Son,  and 
Holy  Spirit.  The  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  truth  of  expe- 
j  rience — because  He  lives,  we  live  also. 

I  But  the  authorship,  and  date,  and  composition  of  books  in  the 
Bible  is  and  must  always  be  a  matter  for  scholars  to  determine. 
And  to  be  afraid  for  them  to  do  so  is  evidence  not  of  faith  but  of 
unbelief.  Fear  is  born  of  doubt,  and  perfect  faith  casteth  out  all 
fear.  There  is  but  one  thing — next  to  sin — that  we  need  fear, 
and  that  is  a  lie.  There  is  but  one  thing — next  to  God — that  we 
should  bow  before,  and  that  is  the  Truth.  I 

"Before  thy  mystic  altar,  Heavenly  Truth, 
I  kneel  In  manhood,  as  I  knelt  in  youth. 
Thus  let  me  kneel  till  this  dull  frame  decay, 
And  life's  last  shade  be  brightened  by  thy  ray; 
Then  shall  my  soul,  now  lost  in  clouds  below, 
Soar  without  bounds,  without  consuming  glow." 

And  what  shall  we  say  in  reference  to  the  modern  science  of 
sociology?  Students  of  sociology  have  gone  to  many  extremes. 
Many  excellent  men  have  been  utterly  unbalanced  by  their  investi- 
gations in  this  field.  Shall  we  turn  over  this  science  of  the  Bol- 
shevik to  the  socialist  and  the  "Red?"  Shall  we  denounce  it? 
Shall  we  hold  it  up  to  ridicule?    If  we  do  then  we  sow  to  the 

i  wind  and  we  shall  reap  the  whirlwind. 

That  Christianity  has  a  mission  to  society  as  well  as  to  the 
individual  is  one  of  the  first  truths  of  the  New  Testament;  and  to 
ignore  the  teachings  of  Jesus  and  the  scientific  conclusions  of  so- 
ciology and  insist  upon  a  program  of  pure  individualism  is  to  deny 
one-half  of  the  gospel.  What  is  here  insisted  upon  is  that  our 
Chrisiian  scholars  must  oui-think  the  modern  pagan  world  in  everp 
sphere  of  investigation.    It  has  been  said  over  and  over  again  that 

I  what  saved  England  from  the  errors  of  Deism  was  not  the  writings 
of  Bishop  Butler  and  other  Christian  thinkers,  but  the  Methodist 
revival  led  by  the  Wesleys.    That  is  but  half  the  truth;  it  is, 

I  therefore,  a  falsehood.  Butler's  Analogy  blasted  the  very  founda- 
tions out  from  underneath  Deism  as  a  philosophical  system,  and 
then  the  great  W esleyan  revival  came  in  and  did  what  only  a  great 
revival  could  do.    We  are  unfair  to  the  facts  of  history  when  we  jj 

I  discount  the  work  of  the  Christian  scholar  and  philosopher. 


/EDUCATION  A  METHOD  OF  EVANGELISM 

^  4.  Revivalism  alone  rvill  never  save  the  Tvorld.  Christian 
Education  is  necessary  to  furnish  a  basis  for  Revivalism;  and 
Christian  Education  is  necessar])  to  conserve  the  results  of  Revival- 
ism. 

The  revivalist  reaches  only  those  who  have  been  prepared  for 
his  message  by  Christian  Education  in  the  home  or  in  the  school. 
The  revivalist  must  always  find  a  point  of  contact  before  he  can 
bring  a  man  to  Christ.  The  soil  of  the  heart  and  mind  must  first 
have  been  prepared  by  mother  or  teacher  before  the  good  seed  of 
the  gospel  can  find  lodgment  and  spring  up  and  produce  fruit. 
This  is  not  theory,  it  is  just  a  statement  of  fact. 

It  has  generally  been  taken  for  granted  that  Paul  did  his  great 
missionary  work  among  heathen  people  and  others  who  were  utterly 
ignorant  of  the  foundation  facts  and  truths  of  religion.  A  greater 
mistake  could  not  possibly  be  made.  All  over  the  Roman  Empire 
there  were  Jewish  synagogues.  In  these  the  truths  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament were  continually  taught.  Wherever  Paul  went  he  first 
entered  the  synagogue  and  taught.  The  scattering  abroad  of  the 
Jews  and  erection  of  synagogues  all  over  the  Roman  empire  had 
prepared  a  soil  for  the  sowing  of  the  good  seed  of  the  gospel. 
Without  this  preparation  one  fails  to  see  how  the  apostle  would 
have  been  able  to  make  much  headway. 

Now  the  Jews  were  great  proselytizers.  In  all  cities  and  in 
all  lands  they  sought  to  convert  men  to  their  religion.  And  the 
pure  monotheism  and  lofty  moral  teachings  of  the  Old  Testament 
drew  many  gentiles  in  the  direction  of  Judaism.  There  were  many 
proselytes  and  many  near-proselytes.  In  reading  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  one  often  finds  reference  made  to  "devout  persons,'* 
"those  that  feared  God."  These  expressions  have  almost  a  tech- 
nical meaning;  that  is  to  say,  they  are  nearly  always  specially  ap- 
plied to  a  certain  group  of  persons,  namely,  such  as  had  become 
proselytes  or  near-proselytes.  Paul's  usual  form  of  salutation 
when  he  arose  to  speak  was,  "Brethren,  children  of  the  stock  of 
Abraham,  and  those  among  you  that  fear  God."  Such  a  man 
was  Jairus,  such  Cornelius,  and  such  the  Ethiopian  eunuch.  It 
would  be  going  too  far  to  say  that  in  the  early  days  of  the  Apostolic 
Church  there  were  no  converts  except  from  these  classes;  but  it 
would  be  only  an  exaggeration  of  the  facts. 


If 


JOHN  WESLEY  USED  IT 

W^has  often  been  assumed  that  the  multitudes  to  which  John 
Wesley  and  his  coadjutors  appealed,  and  from  which  he  won  so 
many  converts,  were  utterly  ignorant  of  the  facts  and  principles 
of  the  gospel.  That  the  multitudes  were  ignorant  and  brutal  is, 
of  course,  true;  but  it  is  not  true  that  they  were  ignorant  of  the 
primary  facts  and  the  elemental  principles  of  religion.  Isaac  Tay- 
lor, in  his  study  of  H^es/ei)  an  J  Methodism,  points  out  with  true 
philosophical  insight  that  the  Methodist  Revival  succeeded  just 
because  it  appealed  continually  to  these  fundamental  things  which 
all  men  believed. 

It  has  also  been  taken  for  granted  that  Wesley's  preachers 
weW^men  rescued  from  the  grossest  ignorance,  men  who  had  had 
no  religious  instruction  in  the  Church  or  in  the  home.  This  is  a 
grave  mistake.  Wesley  had  his  leading  preachers  write  short 
sketches  of  their  lives;  these  are  available  in  a  series  of  volumes 
edited  by  Jackson.  A  careful  study  of  these  has  been  made,  and 
almost  without  exception  these  early  Methodist  preachers  write 
about  their  Christian  mothers  and  the  impression  made  on  them  in 
early  childhood  by  the  services  of  the  Established  Church.  When 
Wesley  came  with  his  gospel  he  awoke  sleeping  memories,  he  ap>- 
pealed  to  the  truth  of  the  principles  which  they  had  learned  in 
childhood. 

In  his  "Twice-Born  Men,"  Begbie  gives  an  account  of  the 
work  of  the  Salvation  Army  among  the  lowest  of  the  low.  It  is 
significant  that  among  all  those  of  whom  he  writes  and  who  were 
rescued  from  the  grossest  sins,  there  is  not  one  who  m  his  early 
childhood  had  absolutely  no  religious  instruction,  except  "Old 
Born  Drunk."  And  one  may  attend  any  of  the  great  revivals  held 
today  by  men  like  Billy  Sunday,  and  take  note  of  those  who  are 
brought  to  Christ,  and  he  will  be  interested  to  discover  that  prac- 
tically every  one  had  a  good  mother  and  attended  Sunday  school 
in  his  childhood. 

^\Here  is  a  fact  that  simply  must  not  be  ignored.  Sometimes 
on¥  has  heard  returned  missionaries  tell  of  the  power  of  the  gospel 
to  convert  the  heathen  the  very  first  time  they  ever  heard  it 
preached.  It  is  doubted  if  this  ever  did  happen,  or  ever  can  hap- 
pen. Men  with  very  little  knowledge  can  be  converted,  but  there 
must  be  some  degree  of  knowledge.  To  call  to  men  in  total  igno- 
rance of  the  gospel,  "Come  to  Christ,"  would  not  mean  anything 


I' 


more  to  them  than  to  say,  "Come  to  XYZ."  They  must  be 
taught  who  Christ  is,  and  what  He  came  into  the  world  to  do,  and 
on  what  conditions  they  are  to  come,  before  they  will  come  to 
Him,  or,  indeed,  can  come  to  Him.  If  some  of  the  early  mission- 
aries had  known  this,  they  would  not  have  died  with  broken  hearts. 
Every  one  knows  how  the  first  missionaries  of  the  modem  mis- 
sionary era  toiled  for  long  years  before  they  won  their  first  con- 
vert— and  then  that  convert  was  a  servant  in  the  house  or  the  mis- 
sionary's native  teacher. 


1/      But  the  question  is  asked.  Can  not  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  answer 
to  prayer,  reveal  the  truth  of  the  gospel  to  uninstructed  men,  and 
I     convict  them  of  sin  and  of  righteousness  and  of  judgment?  As 
to  what  the  Holy  Spirit  can  do,  it  does  not  become  us  to  speak, 
i     We  speak  only  of  what  He  has  done  and  of  what  He  is  now 
I     doing.     It  is  not  the  method  of  the  Hol^  Spirit       reveal  the 
'     knowledge  of  facts  to  men.     Even  the  boy  Jesi^/'^'increased  in 
wisdom  and  knowledge"  just  as  any  other  boy  does.    His  knowl- 
I     edge  of  the  facts  and  principles  of  the  Bible  He  learned  from 
I     His  mother  and  from  His  teachers  in  the  synagogue  school.  Paul 
I     was  very  careful  to  let  it  be  known  that  he  got  his  knowledge  of 
i      the  facts  of  the  gospel  from  those  who  were  in  Christ  before  him. 
Says  he,  "I  delivered  unto  you  that  which  I  received,**  and  then 
he  goes  on  to  show  that  he  was  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  apos- 
tolic tradition.    He  does  insist  that  he  received  his  "gospel"  from 
j     no  man,  but  that  it  came  to  him  by  divine  inspiration.    But  his 
j      "gospel"  is  his  interpretation  of  the  facts  which  he  received  from 
j     others.    One  gets  his  facts  from  his  fellow  men;  he  gets  his  Chris- 
I     tian  understanding  of  those  facts  through  the  illumination  of  the 
j     Holy  Spirit. 

i  We  are  never  going  to  bring  about  the  great  revival  which  the 

I  nation  needs  until  we  recognize  the  truth  of  the  statement  that 
religious  education  is  necessary  as  a  basis  for  Revivalism,  and  act 
upon  it.  America  needs  just  now  nothing  quite  so  much  as  a  cam- 
paign in  the  interest  of  religious  education,  in  the  home,  in  the 
Church,  and  in  the  school.  America  will  be  lost  without  it.  The 
supreme  task  of  the  Church  today  is  to  give  to  the  youth  of  the 
land  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  The 
Church  itself  will  be  lost  without  it.    Face  the  facts  just  as  they 


SPIRIT  DOES  NOT  REVEAL  FACTS 


are:  The  majority  of  professors  in  the  leading  colleges  and  univer- 
sities of  America  are  not  Christians  and  do  not  believe  in  God; 
sixty  per  cent  of  the  people  in  the  United  States  do  not  belong  to 
any  Church — Roman  Catholic,  Jewish,  or  Protestant — twenty- 
seven  million  children  and  youth  under  twenty-frve  years  of  age 
do  not  attend  Sunday  school  and  receive  no  systematic  religious 
instruction.  It  is  perfectly  evident  that  if  something  is  not  done 
America  is  doomed.  Is  it  any  longer  proper  to  speak  of  America 
as  a  Christian  nation  ?  Are  we  not  rapidly  becoming  heathen  ?  Of 
this  we  are  sure,  our  Movement  in  the  interest  of  Christian  Edu- 
cation has  begun  not  one  day  too  soon.  We  must  enter  upon  it 
with  the  spirit  of  crusaders,  or  it  may  be  we  shall  find  that  we 
have  waked  up  too  late. 

L-i^ave  said  that  education  is  necessary  to  conserve  the  results 
of  Revivalism.  It  is  not  now  necessary  to  add  much  to  that  state- 
ment. It  was  for  this  purpose  that  the  New  Testament  was  writ- 
ten— to  conserve  the  results  of  the  missionary  labors  of  the  apos- 
tles. It  was  because  John  Wesley  saw  this  that  Methodism  became 
a  mighty  power  in  the  world.^ Christian  Education  and  Revivalism 
were  the  two  mighty  arms  of  his  strength.  It  is  because  too  many 
evangehsts  and  pastors  have  failed  to  see  this  that  the  results  of 
many  a  revival  which  promised  so  much  have  passed  away  like  a 
morning  cloud. 

Surely  God  needs  just  now  some  modern  prophet  who  shall 
cry  out  until  the  Church  shall  hear,  "MY  PEOPLE  ARE  DE- 
STROYED FOR  LACK  OF  KNOWLEDGE." 

Ill 

THE  DISTINCTLY  CHRISTIAN  IDEA 

In  addition  to  what  has  been  said,  several  things  should  be 
added  touching  the  work  Tvhich  can  be  done  only  in  colleges  and 
universities  which  are  distinctly  Christian. 

1 .  Christian  Education  alone  develops  the  full  personality. 

Any  other  education  is  partial,  imperfect,  one-sided.  Educa- 
tion which  is  not  Christian  overlooks  or  denies  the  fact  that  man 
is  soul  as  well  as  body,  however  highly  organized  his  body  may  be. 
Most  of  our  modem  psychologists  laugh  to  scorn  the  idea  of  the 
soul.  And  how  can  they  teach  who  overlook  that  which  is  of 
greatest  importance?  *'What  shall  it  profit  a  man  if  he  shall  gain 
the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul?" 


Personality  is  not  all  intellect.  Intellect  is  just  one  aspect  of 
personality.  Borden  P.  Bowne  speaks  somewhere  of  "the  inso- 
lence and  intolerance  of  the  intellect."  The  intellect  is  not  all 
there  is  to  a  man.  And  yet  much  of  our  education  has  proceeded 
on  the  assumption  that  the  informing  and  the  training  of  the  intel- 
lect is  the  sum  total  of  education.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
man  has  a  heart  as  well  as  a  head.  It  must  not  be  overlooked 
that  sensibility  and  Tvill  are  aspects  of  human  personality  no  less 
than  intellect. 

Great  is  the  intellect!  There  is  much  that  the  intellect  can 
do.  It  can  solve  problems  in  mathematics;  it  can  untwist  the 
beams  of  the  sunlight;  it  can  put  the  planets  in  scales  and  weigh 
them.  But  there  is  much  that  the  intellect  can  not  do.  The  intel- 
lect alone  can  have  no  appreciation  of  an  oratorio;  it  can  have  no 
feeling  for  the  tear  on  the  cheek  of  a  child;  it  can  not  understand 
a  great  work  of  art;  it  is  as  dead  as  a  stone  before  the  passion  of 
a  Christian  martyr.  It  is  ignorant  of  the  might  of  the  human  will : 
it  has  even  sought  to  reduce  the  will  to  the  category  of  cause  and 
effect.  The  Christian  view  of  man  takes  him  as  he  is,  in  the 
entirety  of  his  personality — soul  as  well  as  body,  made  for  eternity 
as  well  as  for  time,  with  will  and  sensibility  as  well  as  with  intel- 
lect.   Christian  education  alone  deals  with  man  as  God  made  him. 

2.  Christian  colleges  and  universities  alone  can  give  to  men 
that  viejv  of  the  universe  which  enables  them  to  "see  things  sanely 
and  to  see  them  whole*' 

It  was  said  of  a  noted  scientist,  "In  all  the  world  nothing 
escaped  him  but  God."  Then  everything  escaped  him;  for  he 
who  does  not  know  God  can  see  nothing  as  it  really  is.  What  the 
sun  is  to  the  world  in  which  we  live,  that  God  is  to  the  whole 
intellectual  world.  At  night  the  earth  is  wrapped  in  darkness ;  the 
loveliest  flower  has  no  beauty  and  the  fairest  landscape  is  as  a 
thing  of  nought.  But  when  the  sun  arises  and  pushes  back  the 
darkness  of  the  night,  then  we  see  the  beauty  of  the  rose  and  of 
the  violet,  and  then  we  behold  the  grandeur  of  the  mountain  and 
feel  the  peace  of  the  quiet  valley.  To  seek  to  understand  Nature 
and  Man,  to  try  to  solve  great  scientific  and  philosophical  problems, 
and  leave  God  out,  is  like  trying  to  see  the  beauty  and  glory  of  the 
world  after  having  abolished  the  sun  or  having  put  out  our  eyes. 
In  God's  light  do  we  see  light. 

Before  Harvey  discovered  the  circulation  of  the  blood  men 
knew  very  little  about  physiology.     The  facts  which  they  had 


ascertained  were  lacking  in  unity  and  co-ordination.  They  were 
not  understood.  Before  it  was  found  out  that  the  earth  is  not 
the  center  of  things,  about  which  sun  and  stars  revolve,  men  knew 
little  about  astronomy.  TTiey  had  studied  the  movements  of  the 
sun  and  moon;  they  had  tabulated  strange  movements  of  the  stars; 
they  studied  the  planets  and  called  them  "wanderers"  because 
they  could  not  account  for  their  strange  behavior.  But  when  at 
last  Copernicus  discovered  that  the  earth  and  the  other  planets  re- 
volve around  the  sun,  then  all  the  hitherto  disconnected  facts  fell 
into  one  harmonious  system,  and  astronomy  became  a  science. 

Now,  what  the  knowledge  of  the  circulation  of  blood  is  to 
physiology  and  what  the  discovery  of  Copernicus  is  to  astronomy, 
just  that  God  is  to  all  knowledge.  Leave  God  out  and  you  have 
no  unity,  no  system,  no  one  great  fact  which  interprets  all  other 
facts,  no  great  shining  light  which  makes  all  the  universe  luminous. 
No  man  can  know  anything  as  he  ought  to  know  it  until  he  comes 
to  know  God. 

LEADERS  THE  SUPREME  NEED 

3.  Christian  colleges  and  universities,  and  they  alone,  can 
furnish  the  leadership  tphich  the  times  demand  both  in  Church  and 
in  State. 

Leadership  in  America  comes  out  of  the  colleges  and  univer- 
sities. Christian  leadership  comes  out  of  Christian  institutions. 
And  the  college,  to  be  able  to  prepare  for  leadership,  must  have 
the  prophetic  outlook — it  must  speak  for  God.  It  must  teach  men 
to  know  the  things  that  ought  to  be.  It  must  ground  them  in  the 
ethics  of  Jesus.  It  must  show  man  his  duty  to  his  fellow  man. 
It  must  relate  all  life  to  God. 

How  did  it  come  about  at  the  time  of  supreme  crisis,  when 
civilization  was  threatened  and  the  future  of  Christianity  itself 
seemed  to  be  at  stake,  that  America  spoke  the  word  that  brought 
hope  to  lovers  of  liberty  throughout  the  world;  and,  for  the  mo- 
ment, took  the  spiritual  leadership  of  the  whole  world?  How  was 
it  that  America  was  able  to  do  the  great  deed  that  made  possible 
the  winning  of  the  World  War?  It  was,  as  everybody  knows, 
because  in  the  seat  of  authority  in  Washington  there  sat  men  who 
had  been  brought  up  in  Christian  homes  and  trained  in  Christian 
colleges — men  who  believed  in  God  and  were  willing  to  trust  the 
teachings  of  Jesus  to  the  very  last  limit.    That  was  a  great  mo- 


ment  in  the  history  of  America — a  moment  of  which  our  children 
and  their  children  will  be  proud  in  the  years  to  come.  For  once 
a  great  people  proposed  to  write  into  the  Covenant  of  Nations  the 
principles  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

And  how  did  it  come  about  that  America  * 'flunked" — until 
now  we  are  ashamed  to  look  the  people  of  Europe  in  the  face? 
The  answer  is  plain.  Many  of  our  leaders  were  "blind  leaders 
of  the  blind,"  and  the  great  mass  of  our  people  had  not  been  suf- 
ficiently trained  in  the  principles  of  Christ  to  know  what  ought  to 
be  done.  America  lacked  Christian  leaders  at  her  supreme 
moment  of  world  opportunity. 

Our  appeal,  therefore,  comes  with  the  highest  authority.  Our 
homes  must  be  made  more  truly  religious;  our  colleges  and  uni- 
versities must  be  made  more  genuinely  Christian;  our  largest  offer- 
ings must  be  laid  on  the  altar  for  these  schools  which  are  so  indis- 
pensable to  the  work  of  the  Church.  This  appeal  comes  with  all 
the  authority  of  intelligent  patriotism.  The  future  of  America 
depends  upon  whether  or  not  America  is  to  be  genuinely  Christian. 
If  the  Christian  college  fails,  Christianity  fails  in  America.  This 
appeal  comes  with  all  the  authority  of  Christian  dut^.  One's  first 
interest  is  his  interest  in  Christianity.  America  must  be  made 
Christian.  If  the  Christian  colleges  fail,  it  is  certain  that  America 
will  not  be  made  Christian.  And  this  appeal  comes  with  all  the 
authority  of  Ju/p  to  one's  denomination.  From  the  beginning 
Methodism  has  had  a  large  place  in  the  life  of  America.  The 
purpose  of  our  fathers  was  "to  reform  the  continent"  and  "to 
spread  Scriptural  holiness  over  these  lands."  God  wills  it  that 
this  should  still  be  our  program. 

To  this  high  task  God  has  called  us.  We  showed  other  de- 
nominations the  way  in  the  matter  of  our  Centenary.  In  the  provi- 
dence of  God,  we  are  now  undertaking  the  most  thorough  move- 
ment in  the  interest  of  Christian  Education  that  has  ever  been 
undertaken  by  any  denomination.  And  in  the  providence  of  God, 
Christian  Education  goes  before  the  Church  on  its  own  merit,  not 
merged  with  any  other  interest  or  confused  with  any  other  cause. 
It  is  a  great  undertaking — this,  to  raise  thirty-three  million  dollars, 
and  at  the  same  time  bring  abo^t  a  reformation  which  shall  restore 
the  work  of  Christian  Education  to  its  New  Testament  place  in 
the  life  of  the  Church.    But  it  can  be  done.    We  can  do  it  if  we 


